Choices
by SoloGuardian
Summary: Take out every tragic and extraordinary event that occurred in Rose Hathaway's life. She has a functional relationship with both of her parents while growing up. The Dragomirs survived the car crash. Lissa and Rose never went on the run, and never discovered spirit. Without the constant struggle just to stay alive and sane, Rose finds a larger cause to fight for. (Complete)
1. Scrumptious

I tapped my watch impatiently. Two more minutes and I'd have to bail on this stakeout in order to make my shift on time. To my relief, a door opened a short way down the hall, and six and a half feet of perfectly sculpted Russian turned toward me. For the first time, I gave thanks that guardian housing was equipped with shared rather than private baths.

"Howdy, cowboy," I drawled. All of the guardians had noticed the man's unusual leather duster. He wasn't wearing it now, of course. All he had on was a towel. I smirked, silently congratulating myself. My timing was perfect.

I openly admired his firm chest, chiseled abs, and oh those shoulders. Who knew there were so many muscles in just the shoulder? He tugged the towel a little tighter around his waist, and my eyes slid down to his legs. His thighs, sadly, were hidden underneath the towel, but even his calves were gorgeous.

He'd been walking toward me during my inspection, and now he stopped several feet away. "May I help you?"

I spared a quick glance at his damp shoulder-length brown hair and dark brown eyes before flashing my man-eater smile. "You already have. I needed a little pick-me-up before my shift. This view put me in such a good mood, it may last the rest of the night."

He didn't respond, just stood silently holding his ground. Not that he had much choice; I was leaning against the door to his room.

After satisfying myself with one last head-to-toe scan, I winked and strode quickly away. I felt sure that Celeste would forgive my lateness once I shared the reason.

I rushed out of guardian housing and jogged toward the front gate. In my jacket pocket, my phone started to ring. Jeez, I wasn't even five minutes late and they were hounding me. I slowed to a brisk walk and pulled out my phone, already preparing three different (bogus) arguments in my defense. My annoyance turned to worry when I saw the caller's name.

"Lissa? What's wrong?" Lissa, full name Vasilisa Dragomir, was my best friend. She always came to me with her problems.

"Nothing," the chipper voice on the line responded. "I just wanted to say hi."

I sighed in relief and exasperation. "You're not supposed to call while I'm working unless it's an emergency. That's why I sent you my schedule."

"I know. Your shift doesn't start for almost an hour." Lissa sounded unreasonably pleased with her ability to keep track of time.

"Montana is two hours behind Pennsylvania, Liss, not three," I reminded her. For someone supposedly brilliant, she could be a real birdbrain sometimes.

"Oops." Her tone dropped from proud to contrite in an instant.

I chuckled. "All right, so nothing's wrong, and I've got to go to work. We'll video chat later, yeah?"

"Yeah," she said brightly. I suspected that her enthusiasm was faked, but I didn't have time to get into it right now. We ended the call.

Lissa and I had been inseparable all throughout our school years. From the day we met at age six, I had been her guardian and she was my Moroi. We had planned to stay together after graduation, but Lissa began to suffer from severe bouts of depression during our senior year. Instead of going off to college like her brother, she moved back in with her parents. I knew she'd do better with me around, but the Guardian Council refused to waste resources by assigning her a guardian for "emotional support" when Lissa was fully protected by her parents' guardians. So she stewed idly at Court, which is why she called so often. Unlike her, I had a job to keep me busy. I would kick ass no matter what boring corner of the world I got shoved into.

As I expected, Celeste was already at the gate house when I arrived. "Hey. Sorry I'm late," I told her.

She waved away my apology. "Did you bring coffee?" The gate house had a coffee machine, but everyone said it was rubbish compared to the stuff on tap in the guardian lounge.

"Nope, I don't drink the stuff. I brought something better, though." I tossed a brown paper bag onto the desk in front of her. "Want one?"

She peered inside the bag, then looked back at me. "Just one? There are six donuts in here."

"You could have two, I guess," I said grudgingly.

Celeste chuckled. "Oh, to have the metabolism of a twenty-year-old dhampir."

I grinned and flopped into the chair next to hers. "You aren't so ancient."

"I'm old enough that I'm not willing to say how old I am," Celeste replied.

I nodded seriously. "So, what, thirty?"

She chucked a box of paperclips at my head. I dodged and the box popped open, spilling silver swirls all over the floor. Celeste groaned.

"I'll get it," I said quickly. "You rest those old bones."

She stuck her tongue out at me and attacked the donuts.

When I joined the staff of St. Vladimir's Academy in the spring, the head guardian Alberta had explained that she set the schedule so each of the few female guardians got a bit of "girl time" every week. With Celeste and I sharing overnight duty in the privacy of the gate house, this felt kind of like a slumber party. Except that it was full daylight outside, since the campus operated on a vampire schedule where dark was day and day was night. Being up while the sun was out was one of the main perks of the overnight shift. It almost made up for totally screwing with my sleep schedule. Almost.

Once I had gathered all the paper clips, I resumed my seat next to Celeste and grabbed one of the four remaining donuts. In true slumber party spirit, I dished on the hunk I had harassed in the hall on my way here.

"I met the new guardian earlier," I said casually.

"Dimitri Belikov?"

Mouth full, I nodded.

"Is he as perfect as everyone says?" Celeste asked.

"I can't speak to his attitude but physically, yes." I grinned evilly and proceeded to describe what I had seen in such detail that both Celeste and I were soon drooling, and not over the donuts.

"Too bad he won't be around after this year," Celeste sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"He's only here to guard the Dragomir girl," she explained.

"Jill? I thought she still went by Mastrano."

"Yeah, but everyone knows who she really is now." Over the summer, someone had leaked the fact that seventeen-year-old Jillian Mastrano was actually the illegitimate daughter of Emily Mastrano and Eric Dragomir, Lissa's father.

"Poor kid," I said. "Lissa refuses to speak to her father since the news broke about his affair. If today's students are anything like they were when I was in school, Jill is in for a rough senior year."

"We'll find out when classes start tomorrow," Celeste said. "Who knows, maybe everyone will crowd 'round to make friends with the newest member of the smallest royal family. If she plays her cards right, she could end up with a lot of pull for someone her age."

"Maybe."

Privately, I feared that Lissa and her mother would never accept Jill as a Dragomir. Rhea and Lissa were good-hearted people, but that didn't mean they'd be willing to condone Eric's adultery. Royals at Court were bound to pick up on that attitude and would warn their children at St. Vlad's to keep their distance from Jill. I just hoped the non-royals wouldn't shun her too.

"So, which ones should I look out for?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Who is the Rose Hathaway of this year's senior class?"

Celeste laughed long and loud at that question. She and most of the guardians on staff here knew me from my own school days. "Oh, Rose," she said finally. "There's no comparison. You're the only troublemaker of your caliber this school has ever seen."

* * *

 _A/N: Short PSA - this story has a slow build and very little action. Still, I had fun writing it and hope you enjoy reading it. It's complete and not terribly long, which are two points in its favor, right?_


	2. Marks

After my overnight shift, I napped for a few hours and woke up just in time to beat the lunch rush. I was scheduled to work the second half of the afternoon shift, so it wasn't worth trying for another nap after eating. Instead, I headed to the track. Initially, the steady rhythm of my feet and my breathing was as relaxing as a nap would have been. Then the endorphins kicked in and I was flying high. Time to put that energy to use in the gym.

I bounced through the double doors, my long ponytail brushing my shoulders with every step. Ah, the scrumptious Russian newbie was here. Most guardians leaped at the chance to spar with fresh meat, and the staff at St. Vlad's were no exception.

"Hey, Dimitri, did the senior guardians wear you out already, or do you have enough strength left to spar with a runt like me?" I asked, loping over to his spot on the mats without breaking stride.

He looked me over deliberately, in what was clearly an "evaluating an opponent" and not a "checking out a woman" sort of way. His professionalism bummed me out a little. I mean, I was hot. Thick dark hair, brown doe eyes, exotic features, and a body that was attractively curvy in addition to being toned like an active guardian's. Not many guys could look at me without a flicker of lust. Dimitri was an exception. Maybe that meant he'd actually take me seriously.

Something he saw must have met with his approval, because he invited me to join him with a single beckoning gesture. I rolled my eyes as we squared off on the sparring mat. "Not much of a conversationalist, are you?"

Before he could answer, I lunged forward in a quick attack combination that he dodged easily. Taunting my opponents was a bad habit I had never managed to shake. My instructors warned me that it was a waste of breath, but it was just too damn fun to stop.

"I bet your heroes use guns instead of fists, huh? You know, wild wild west and all that," I said.

He grunted as I landed a kick to his midsection. In my opinion, using a gun was tantamount to cheating. Guardians trained for hand-to-hand combat against Strigoi, the evil undead vampires that hunt our beloved Moroi. Shooting practice was fun, but in actual combat guns were definitely a last resort. Bullets wouldn't even kill a Strigoi, just slow them down. They only died if they were decapitated, completely burned, or stabbed through the heart with a silver stake. Staking was the most practical of these options, which was why we trained for close-quarters combat.

"Shit," I muttered. Dimitri had gotten around my guard. His next move sent me flying to the mat.

I scrambled to recover before he pinned me, but he was too fast. A heartbeat later he was on me, bringing his full weight to bear against my body before snaking one hand between us to press against my chest. My breath caught slightly at our position.

"Dead," he declared. The adrenaline rush from our fight burned in his eyes.

"Same to you." I glanced down to where my right fist nestled against the underside of his rib cage, just below his heart. Following my gaze, he smiled slightly before jumping to his feet. He offered a hand to help me. My feet left the floor when he pulled me up, that's how strong he was.

"That was my toughest match today," he said, slightly out of breath. "I'd like for us to spar again sometime."

I decided not to ask how many other guardians he had fought earlier. No need to spoil my victory - well, my not-loss - by finding out he had been exhausted from facing four or five previous challengers. Somewhat competitively, I also didn't want to speak until I caught my breath. To fill the time, I bent down and grabbed a water bottle from my gym bag. My ponytail swung down over one shoulder, exposing the small tattoos on the back of my neck.

"You have six molnija?" Dimitri asked. He didn't sound surprised or impressed. Just interested, I guess. It was weird to meet someone who didn't judge me immediately. Either that, or he was really good at hiding his emotions.

"Yep." I took a swig from my water bottle.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Twenty."

"That's young for so many kills," he said. It was a simple statement of fact, but I bristled nonetheless.

"How many do you have, grandpa?" I shot back.

"Eight," he said steadily. "And I'm twenty-seven."

I snorted in annoyance. It drove me crazy when people failed to take offense at my insults. Granted, calling a twenty-seven-year-old "grandpa" was not exactly a stellar burn, but still.

"My mother is a guardian. She decided to...supplement my education," I explained. "We traveled and trained during every school break starting with freshman year. I killed my first two Strigoi when I was a senior novice, one the summer after graduation, and two each year after that."

I decided not to mention the fact that Dad had joined Mom and I on these trips. Dhampirs tended to be vocally curious about my relationship with my Moroi father, and a molnija discussion was already more personal than I had expected my second meeting with Dimitri to be.

"That makes seven kills," Dimitri said.

"Right." Thanks for the math lesson, jackass.

"You have six molnija," he repeated.

"Oh. Maybe I miscounted." My hand flew to the back of my neck, as if I could feel the tiny black marks on my skin. "Shit. I have to call my mom."

I yanked on my black warm-up jacket and tossed my gym bag over one shoulder. "Catch you later, cowboy." I jabbed his shoulder playfully in parting. Next time I should smack his ass.

"I ordered a bathrobe online," he said suddenly, almost as if he had read my mind.

I laughed all the way to the far exit. Oh Lord, I was going to have fun with this modest man. I yanked open the door and called back in a sing-song voice, "I guess that means I'll have to make the most of the next 5-7 days."

The door clanged shut behind me, leaving me alone with my laughter. Said laughter quickly fizzled out when I anticipated the phone call ahead of me. Ugh, my mother was going to be livid. Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I pulled out my phone and dialed.

Janine answered on the third ring. "Rose?"

"Hey, Mom."

"You sound happy. What did you do?"

I rolled my eyes. Trust her to assume the worst, no matter that I was now a promised guardian and not an undisciplined novice. "Nothing bad. I just had a great practice session. My sparring partner was really skilled." I grinned, sensing an opportunity to mess with her. "And hot."

"Rose, be careful. You're still very young," she warned. I rolled my eyes again. At this rate, I'd be dizzy before I reached guardian housing.

"I know," I said brightly. "I learned from your mistake. My senseless flings are limited to members of my own race, so I can't possibly fall victim to an accidental pregnancy." It was impossible for dhampirs to conceive with other dhampirs or even humans. We could only procreate with Moroi.

"Rose," my mother hissed.

I skipped a few steps along the path, smiling delightedly. Which part of that sentence would she challenge first? Victim? Fling? Mistake?

"Your father was not a senseless fling," she continued. Of course she would defend her choice of Moroi rather than try to deny that I was an accident.

"Mm-hmm," I murmured, in that "whatever you say" kind of way. Hearing her sharp intake of breath, I cut her off before she could continue the argument. "Actually, Mom, I called to ask you something."

While she hesitated, I ducked inside the back door to guardian housing, the one that led directly into the stairwell. I took the stairs two at a time and reached the third floor in seconds.

"What is it?" she asked warily.

I slipped my key into the lock and waited until the door closed behind me before I answered. "It's possible that I wasn't inked for one of my kills."

"What?" she exclaimed. Molnija were badges of honor and reminders of what it meant to remove Strigoi from this world. Skipping one was a breach of protocol, and my mother was a stickler for the rules.

"Okay, keep breathing. Maybe grab a glass of water," I said soothingly.

She huffed angrily. "This isn't a joke, Rosemarie."

I rolled my eyes again. Ouch, I might have pulled a muscle that time. "I know that, Mom. Maybe I'm wrong. That's why I need you, to help me remember. Let's talk it through, okay?"

Janine instantly slipped into professional guardian mode, describing our shared battles with a precision and monotony that would have put me to sleep if I wasn't standing up. I gazed longingly at my bed while she droned on. Finally, the word "fire" seeped into my brain and pricked my interest.

"Wait, stop," I said. She grumbled about being interrupted. "Shit."

"Language, Rose," she scolded. I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes again. Her window to restrain my vulgar tendencies had closed long ago.

"Shit," I repeated just to annoy her. "That's the one. I have to make some calls. Thanks, Mom. Love you. Bye," I said, talking over whatever further protests she tried to make. Then I hung up and quickly silenced my phone.

Dealing with this situation was going to be a bitch. Better leave it until tomorrow.


	3. History

Two days after clarifying my molnija count with mommy dearest, I queued for breakfast with my coworkers in the guardian lounge. First I grabbed three clementines, juggling them for a few seconds before stashing two in my pocket for later. My nails had just pierced the skin of the third when the academy's head guardian stormed into the room.

"Rose." Alberta's voice was dangerously sharp. "Why did you ask Lionel to set up a molnija ceremony for tomorrow?"

"I've been on daylight shifts all weekend, so..." I trailed off, watching my fingers uncover the fruit in my hand.

"So you decided to spend your free time gallivanting off campus on a Strigoi hunt?" she demanded.

"You," I said, pointing at her with the orange peel, "have a strange definition of gallivanting."

"Rose," Alberta repeated in her most no-nonsense tone. Even I could tease Alberta for only so long before her patience wore out.

I gestured at Dimitri, who looked less than thrilled to be drawn into the conversation. "Jack's mortal enemy here asked about my molnija. While we were talking, I realized that I was never inked for my latest kill. Which was over the summer, off campus," I assured her, when Alberta still looked ready to explode.

"How do you forget killing a Strigoi?" Celeste asked.

I shifted uneasily, embarrassed by my oversight. "I kicked him into the fire, so he was left out of the body count in the official report. Mom and I didn't have a chance to check the paperwork because Dad whisked us away to our dinner reservation."

Celeste and Alberta chuckled. They knew Dad was the only person who could make my mother slack on her guardian duties.

"Anyway, I put in a call to have the report fixed. Hans was pissed," I concluded. Hans Croft supervised the Royal Court's staff of guardians and oversaw most guardian administrative work, which included incident reports and allocations.

"You have that effect on people," drawled Stan Alto, my nemesis when I was a student. Well, nemesis might be a bit strong, but we definitely hated each other. I thought he was going to pop a vein when I came back with two molnija in January of my senior year.

"Thanks, Stanny boy." My absolute favorite part of guarding at the academy was dealing with Stan now that he had no authority over me. He glared. I grinned.

Dimitri broke our staring contest. "Dinner reservation?" he asked curiously. I dragged my eyes from Stan's to his. Yum, I should look at his eyes more often.

"Yeah. It was amazing. The kind of place where you don't order, the chef just cooks and you eat it," I said.

Every guardian in the room sighed longingly. Our lives were so rigidly planned that even tiny bits of spontaneity, like an unexpected and delicious dinner, were relished.

"Dad likes to live it up on vacation," I said fondly.

"Fighting Strigoi doesn't sound like much of a vacation," Yuri grumbled.

I bit my tongue. I couldn't tell them that all my kills had happened while on vacation with my parents. Only Alberta knew the details of my previous assignments, and it was best to keep it that way.

After graduation, I had bounced pretty quickly between allocations. Stuck-up young royals requested me based on my personal, rather than my professional, reputation. They dumped me when I failed to live up to the slutty hype. My longest and most recent post was as guardian to playboy Adrian Ivashkov. He enjoyed wooing me, as he called it. After a while, rumors started to circulate: we were engaged, I was pregnant with his child, and other absurd scenarios. His great aunt Tatiana, the queen of all Moroi, was unwilling to dismiss the rumors as nonsense. She dismissed me instead, insisting that Hans assign me far away from Court. That's how I ended up back at St. Vladimir's Academy.

"Right, well, as far as I know you're the only one getting inked tomorrow," Alberta said briskly. She glared around at the other guardians. "Let's keep it that way."

I couldn't help snickering, but I muffled the sound by shoving a clementine wedge into my mouth. When Alberta met my gaze, I swear I saw the glint of a smile in her eyes, but she turned away and strode out of the room as quickly as she had entered.

"Here you go, baby bird." I tossed the rest of my peeled clementine to Dimitri, mocking the way his mouth hung open in surprise. Alberta had established a rapport with her employees that masterfully blended respect and camaraderie. Maybe staff relations were more formal in Russia. For someone who was used to brusque and strict superiors, Alberta's approach would take some getting used to.

Turning back to the line for food, I loaded my plate with hot breakfast essentials - pancakes, sausages, eggs, and home fries - before finding a seat next to Rachel. She was one of the few guardians I hadn't known back when I was a student at St. Vlad's, but we'd become friendly over the past few months.

"Are you inside or outside today?" Rachel asked once I stopped shoveling food into my mouth and slowed down to eat like a normal person.

"Inside," I groaned. "I'm guarding Moroi classes all day. At least I have two periods with fire users, so I may not die of boredom."

"If you like, we could arrange to have you assist with a few novice classes. They're starting to wear out the punching bags," Yuri said with a smile.

"Please," I scoffed. "I could kick any of their asses."

"Not if your performance at last year's senior trials was any indication," Rachel teased.

"You all gave me the worst possible spot! The number of times I fell off that fucking bridge." I growled and shook my head.

"We couldn't pass up the chance to haze you a little," Celeste said.

"Just because I'm the youngest, smallest guardian on campus doesn't mean you can bully me," I said.

"You haven't been bullied a day in your life," Dimitri said softly. He was right. If anything, I'd been a bully at times.

"It speaks," I said, ignoring the substance of his comment. Dimitri looked up, confused to find all eyes on him. I don't think he realized he had spoken aloud. "Hey," I said enthusiastically. "Dimitri's the newest guardian on campus now. Does that mean I get to haze him?"

"I think you already have," Celeste pointed out.

I started to argue that being ogled while wearing a towel was nothing compared to taking hits from hundreds of novices, but Yuri cut me off. "You're here to guard Jillian Mastrano, right?" he asked Dimitri.

Dimitri nodded, flinching slightly when he heard Jill's name.

"Hazing only applies to academy guardians. Technically, Dimitri isn't an academy guardian," Yuri said, eyes twinkling with mischief.

I huffed angrily. "If everyone wants to gang up on me this morning, that's fine. I'm leaving." Grabbing my now-empty tray, I stalked over to the dish return and shoved it across the counter.

Bailing on the end of breakfast meant I was early for the first class of my guarding shift. I stationed myself against the back wall of the empty classroom, already bored now that I was alone. Yes, storming out of the lounge had been an over-reaction, but I've always been grouchy in the morning.

Dimitri entered a few minutes later - I was willing to bet he was always early - and took up a post to my right. I thought back to his uneasy reaction when Yuri mentioned his charge and couldn't resist probing.

"Who did you lose?" I asked.

Dimitri stiffened, and his eyes flicked toward me. "How did you -?"

I shrugged. "You seem freaked about guarding Jill. Most guardians don't take the job that seriously until after they screw up."

He resumed staring straight ahead. I figured he was ignoring me, so I almost jumped when he finally answered. "My first charge, Ivan Zeklos, died. We were together for six years."

"Longer than that, I think. He was your friend," I said, thinking of me and Lissa.

"Yes. We went to school together, and I became his guardian immediately after graduation. I wasn't there when he died." Pain was clear in Dimitri's voice. "He insisted that I visit my family every year. I came back from one trip and found him dead on the living room floor."

"You didn't screw up, then," I said, retracting my previous veiled insult.

"I did. I shouldn't have left him."

"Wasn't he with another guardian?" I asked, confused. Dimitri didn't seem like the type to leave his charge undefended.

Dimitri nodded. "Two. They were both killed."

"So you'd rather it was you that died along with Ivan? Because that's what would have happened."

"I wouldn't -" he started adamantly. Just then, students started filtering into the classroom, effectively ending our conversation. I heard Dimitri sigh in relief.

If I knew Hans - and because we had personally discussed every one of my many reallocations, I knew him pretty well - he had given Dimitri this year at the academy as a bit of a break. Academy guarding was much less intense than guarding individuals outside the wards, as the more arrogant novices so often reminded us. Shifts were shorter and we slept in relative privacy. Hell, sometimes we even got full days off.

I decided to make a personal project of getting Dimitri to loosen up while he was with us. Part of helping him relax was keeping an eye on his new charge, Jillian Mastrano.


	4. Bubbles

I only caught glimpses of Jill between classes and occasionally at meal times during the next few weeks. Things weren't looking good. She sat alone in the cafeteria when she stayed for meals at all. It seemed like news of her illicit parentage had driven her friends away. No one openly tormented her, but sometimes the cold shoulder was harder to fight than a barrage of insults. I knew better than anyone that royals could be cruel.

Finally, I was assigned to guard one of her classes: Advanced Elemental Control for Water Users. Even there in her element (pun intended), Jill was quiet and withdrawn. She didn't interact with her classmates and only raised her eyes when she was called upon to answer a question. Looking closely, I saw that she was too thin and pale, even for a Moroi. Time to step up, Hathaway.

My shift that day ended right before dinner, so I went to look for Jill in the student dining hall. She didn't even pause on her way back from the feeders. I grumbled internally. That girl needed to eat something. Ignoring a few muttered protests about cutting the line, I grabbed three containers of yogurt and a fruit salad. Damn Moroi always liked to eat healthy.

Hoping to find Jill before she reached the Moroi dorm, I jogged down the hall and out the door. A minute later, I spotted her partway across a small quad.

"Hey, Jill," I called after her.

She turned and waited for me to catch up. Her eyes widened slightly when she recognized me. "Guardian Hathaway."

"Guardian Hathaway is my mother," I joked. "Please, call me Rose."

"Your mother is a guardian? That's really rare, isn't it? I know there aren't many female guardians to begin with, but that she kept working after having a baby, I mean, that's pretty unusual, right?"

"Whoa, slow down," I said good-naturedly.

Jill sucked in a huge breath and clapped both hands over her mouth. "Sorry," she mumbled through her fingers.

"It's okay. I was hoping we could talk. You'll need your mouth free for that. And this," I said, handing her a tub of yogurt and a spoon. "Do you like strawberry?"

She looked at me sheepishly before accepting the food and peeling back the lid. "Yeah. Thanks."

Moroi tended to feel more at ease around their element, so I led Jill to a courtyard where a fountain played in the center. I sat on the low wall that enclosed the water, and Jill joined me.

"Thanks," she said again, setting down the now-empty yogurt carton.

"You're not done yet, missy." I placed the other two cartons and the fruit salad on the wall between us.

Jill giggled at my mock-scolding tone. I decided suddenly that there was no point in commiserating with her about what a bitch high school could be. It would do her more good just to have fun for a little while.

As much as I hated talking about my mother, Jill and everyone else in the world seemed eager to hear about her. I bit the bullet and told Jill one of my mom's most exciting battle stories while she finished eating. She polished off the next two yogurts as quickly as the first, then picked at the fruit salad. _Doesn't like cantaloupe_ , I noted.

When Jill was done, I trailed my fingertips in the water, knowing it would inspire her to do the same. "Did you ever blow bubbles when you were a kid?" I asked.

She nodded. Every kid in America played with bubbles.

"When we were little, my friend Mason and I used to sneak outside during daylight to blow bubbles. We both grew up here at the academy. I'd let out a huge stream of bubbles and try to pop them all before they hit the ground. Mason liked to try to catch them in his mouth."

"Wouldn't bubbles taste terrible?" Jill asked.

"Awful. Like soap." I grimaced at the memory.

"Then why did you eat them?" she teased.

I shrugged. "I'll try anything once."

She smiled. The water rippled between our hands and a sphere the size of a marble lifted away from the surface. I poked it, and the water separated and fell with a splash. Jill laughed. Five more spheres leaped up, hovering in front of my face. I swatted at them, but they moved away.

"Hey, no fair," I protested.

"Time to use those guardian reflexes," Jill said. The spheres separated and circled just out of reach.

"Oh, bring it on, kiddo," I challenged.

I spent the next few minutes chasing little globes of water around the courtyard. Every time I "popped" one, it re-congealed instantly thanks to Jill's magic. She giggled at my pretend frustration, and I laughed along with her.

Eventually, Jill brought all the large droplets together into a circle the size of a softball. She taunted me by hovering it overheard just out of reach. I jumped up and down like a toddler who was denied a cookie. Scratch that, I'd go on a rampage if someone tried to steal my dessert.

Jill's happy laughter cut off abruptly, and the ball of water crashed down on my head.

"What the hell?" I pushed damp strands of hair off my forehead and spun around to check on Jill. She wasn't alone.

"Guardian Belikov," she said stiffly, dropping her gaze to her feet.

"Miss Mastrano, Guardian Hathaway," Dimitri greeted us. His eyes flicked from Jill, to the empty food containers, to my soaking wet hair. A smile pulled at his lips.

"I should go," Jill said suddenly.

"Would you like me to walk you back to your room?" Dimitri offered.

"No, I'm fine," she told him.

I jogged over and clasped her shoulder gently, willing her to look me in the eye. "Anything you need, any time, you can come find me, okay? Dimitri, uh, Guardian Belikov, isn't the only one looking out for you."

"Could you teach me how to throw a punch?" Jill asked. Jeez, she refocused quickly.

"Only if you eat enough to beef up these noodle arms," I said, nudging her puny bicep playfully.

She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at me. "Goodnight, Rose, Guardian Belikov," Jill said, then skipped across the courtyard toward her dorm. She seemed much more optimistic than the downtrodden girl I had followed out of the cafeteria.

Dimitri and I both watched her until she disappeared. Once she was out of sight, I turned toward him, waiting for his commentary.

"You got her to eat," Dimitri said appreciatively. There was an unspoken "thank you" in his words. I guess it would be hard to guard a Moroi who was at risk of passing out from lack of food.

"No problem," I said. "She doesn't like to sit alone in the cafeteria. I just gave her another option."

"And a temporary distraction," he pointed out.

"Ah, well, distraction is part of the Rose Hathaway package," I quipped. A line of cold water ran down the back of my neck, and I shivered.

"You should go dry off," he said.

"Thanks for the tip, cowboy." I smirked. "Got any other _tips_ you want to share?" I asked, stressing the word "tips" provocatively.

Dimitri rubbed a hand across his face. "I should keep Jill around as _my_ bodyguard. Even you wouldn't proposition me in front of a student."

"Of course not! I have some professionalism. Plus, that wasn't a proposition. That was just flirting. I won't proposition you unless I'm really, really drunk." I flushed slightly. The mere idea of being with Dimitri was intoxicating.

"I'll hold you to that promise," he said. There was barely-contained laughter in his voice.

"Would you really?" I kept my tone playfully skeptical, testing the waters.

The guardian mask slammed back in place. "I have to get back on patrol. Goodnight, Rose."

"Goodnight, Dimitri." For maybe a minute and a half, I'd glimpsed beyond his emotionless exterior. It looked like getting the Russian god to open up would be even harder than I'd thought.


	5. Russian

"Come in." Alberta's commanding voice responded immediately to my knock on her office door.

I stepped inside. It was tighter quarters than usual, since two extra chairs had been added to accommodate my performance review. Alberta, Stan, and a middle-aged guardian named Leon were already seated. I settled in the empty chair.

"Fuck, if I'd known Stan was going to help evaluate me, I would have been a hell of a lot nicer these past six months," I said.

"We both know that's not true," Stan said mildly. He was right. Nothing could make me respect Stan Alto.

Alberta flipped open a copy of my file. I immediately noticed how much thinner it was than my student file, which had been heavily padded by disciplinary reports. A wry glance from Alberta told me she was thinking the same thing.

"Let's get started," Alberta said. "Your performance as a school guardian has been commendable, if atypical. Neither staff, faculty, nor students have any complaints about your behavior while on duty. Personally I'm impressed by how many students you've caught breaking rules. Half of these infractions would have gone unpunished if not for you."

"Takes one to know one," Stan muttered. I glared but otherwise ignored him.

"We'd like to start assigning you to guard more novice classes," Leon chimed in. "Pay attention to the different teaching styles. With some additional preparation, you could be ready to start leading combat training sessions the year after next."

I froze, hoping my face didn't betray my panic. They expected me to be stationed here for the next two years. Longer, really, or it wouldn't be worth coaching me to become an instructor. Here I was, twenty years old and already condemned to a lifetime post at the academy. Students wouldn't respect me because I had never guarded a charge outside the safety of the wards. I wished so badly that there was someone, anyone, I could blame.

I wheeled on Stan. "How are you okay with this? You hate me."

He struggled internally for a few moments before admitting, "I don't hate you."

"Somebody phone Hollywood," I said sarcastically. "You were harder on me than any other student." I mentally patted myself on the back for slipping in that inappropriate innuendo.

"And you were constantly talking out of turn," Stan responded, already riled up.

Alberta cleared her throat. Catching Stan's eye, she shook her head gently.

"I...disapproved of the way your mother forced you to spend school holidays," Stan said. "Pitting you against Strigoi from the age of fourteen was inexcusably dangerous. Yes, those experiences turned you into the toughest novice I've seen graduate from this academy, but only because you survived. Every time you left, we were all terrified that you wouldn't make it to back to campus. I did my part to make sure you were as ready as you could be for whatever you faced outside these walls."

For the second time during the meeting, I sat in stunned silence. Stan worried about me? Cared about me, even? Not just Stan, either. He made it sound like every guardian on campus feared for my life back when I was a novice. If I weren't Rose Hathaway, I might have cried. Instead, I made a joke.

"Here I thought you were just jealous because a teenage girl had more field experience than you," I said, conjuring a little of my typical bravado.

"I cannot wait until you start teaching and get a taste of your own medicine," Stan sneered. The familiar purple vein began to pulse over his eyebrow, and I relaxed. It felt right to be at odds with him again.

"The upshot is, you're doing a great job as a school guardian, Rose." Alberta tossed the folder containing my file onto her desk and stood, indicating that our meeting was over.

The four of us walked to the guardian lounge together. Stan led the way, Alberta and Leon chatted about duty rosters, and I hung back to process Stan's revelation. I'd already spent most of my life at the academy. This wouldn't be the worst place to spend the rest of it. Yet even Alberta had felt the need to specify _school_ guardian when she talked about my performance. Working here wasn't the same as personally guarding a charge, and everyone knew it. At this point, though, it didn't look like I had any alternative.

Inside the lounge, our little group scattered. Stan beelined for a seat in front of the TV, Alberta and Leon joined a game of pool, and I went to grab a snack (of course).

Food in hand, I plopped down next to Rachel at the bar-height island counter. From that spot we had a good view of the whole room.

"Have you made up your mind about seducing Dimitri?" Rachel asked, eyeing him.

Dimitri and Yuri were playing doubles against Alberta and Leon at the pool table. Yuri must have dragged him here after a shift because Dimitri almost never socialized outside of work hours. Lucky for us, he'd removed his duster for the game. Every time he lined up a shot, his shirt pulled taut across his shoulders, outlining his impressive muscles. Dimitri was the hottest piece of ass we were likely to see at the academy, and the fact that he was only around for a year made him all the more appealing.

I hummed softly in appreciation. "I've decided to wait until spring. Two, maybe three months before graduation should keep the affair short enough that it won't get awkward, but long enough to have some good, not-so-clean fun."

"Your time at Court made you cynical," Rachel commented.

"Not cynical, practical. Believe me, if we were at Court I would have jumped him in the hallway," I said.

"Oh? Has that worked for you before?" she joked.

"Yes, actually. Too many leering Moroi men were waiting to pounce whenever my sexual frustration reached the breaking point. I needed a safe release."

Rachel choked on her coffee. "I take it you found one."

"Mm-hmm." I drew out the sound, pretending to daydream about my former dhampir lover. There had been one when I was at Court, but he wasn't anything to reminisce about. We never attempted an actual relationship, just sex. I wasn't proud of it, but I preferred a good, clean hookup between guardians over becoming another notch on a royal's belt. Lesser of two evils and all that.

"Why wait now, if you're such hot stuff?" she asked.

"It's...easier being a guardian here," I said. We weren't considered second class citizens like at Court. "I don't worry about men trying to take advantage of me if I feel a burst of hormones. Plus, Dimitri and I have to work together all year. That means I can't avoid him when feelings get ugly."

" _When_ things get ugly? Not if?" she asked.

We were interrupted by a string of angry Russian that could only have been profanity. Across the room, Dimitri apologized to Yuri for missing his shot. I grinned at Rachel as a devious trick came to mind.

"Hey, Dimitri," I called over.

Dimitri turned to look at me, as did the others at the pool table. The rest of the room fell silent in anticipation of my comment. Dimitri was still enough of a mystery that his every action drew extra attention.

"You know our boss speaks Russian, right?" I said, with a nod toward Alberta.

To my great satisfaction, Dimitri completely lost his cool. He apologized profusely to Alberta for his language, mentioning that his Mama would wash his mouth with soap if she had heard what he said.

Alberta stayed stone-faced for longer than I expected. When she finally burst out laughing, the whole room joined in. Everyone except Dimitri, that is. He looked totally at a loss.

"I don't speak Russian, Dimitri," Alberta said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "My family is from Cincinnati."

Yuri clapped him on the shoulder conspiratorially. "One thing you've got to learn about Rose, man. She lies."


	6. Comfort

"Alberta, please don't make me spend three hours prying apart horny teenagers," I whined. I had ambushed her in her office, trying to weasel out of guard duty at the fall dance tonight.

"Fortunately, Moroi teachers have that responsibility. As a guardian, you only need to step in if there is a violent altercation," Alberta said.

"Like one student punching another in the nose?" I asked, remembering my last dance at St. Vlad's.

Alberta suppressed a smile. "Among other things."

"What if they deserve it?" I asked.

"I'll be the one to make that call. Rose, you don't have a choice of shifts here. You will stand silently in that ballroom unless a student needs to be dragged out of it."

I started to grin and quickly turned it into a grimace. Alberta had unwittingly given me the perfect way to cut short my time at the dance. "Yeah, yeah," I grumbled snottily and stalked out of her office.

My mind churned as I ambled across the quad toward my room. If I was lucky, a fight would start on its own. Otherwise, I could name a handful of students who would gladly throw a punch at the dance if I paid them to. The trick would be to pick someone who wouldn't rat me out afterward.

Halfway through the dance, I lost my patience. The painfully awkward "sizing each other up" phase at the beginning had actually been fun to watch. Even back in high school, I was never as self-conscious as most of these kids. Then they finally got over themselves and started dancing, by which I mean grinding and jumping apart when a teacher walked past. By the halfway point, upperclassmen had already started to peel off to various after-parties, and the ones who remained had progressed pretty much to dry-humping. The Moroi chaperones had by now shirked their duty in favor of their sanity, but us poor guardians weren't allowed to take our eyes off the dance floor.

"Hey." I grabbed a junior novice who had the right kind of reputation for the task I needed done. "I'll give you twenty bucks if you punch someone in the next five minutes."

"Will I get in trouble?"

"Of course."

He looked at me appraisingly. "Fifty."

"Forty," I countered.

"Done."

I slipped him two twenties. "Hit anyone you want. Just don't break any bones."

The plan went off almost without a hitch. Unfortunately, my guy decided to mark Jill, which was a complete surprise. He hadn't hit her hard, though, and I was pretty sure she wouldn't even have a black eye, just some swelling. I dragged the novice away from the dance and directly to Alberta's office. Half an hour later I had orders to escort him back to his room, but no explicit instructions to return to the dance afterward. I went to my room instead.

Dimitri burst in right as I laid down the last stroke of my hot pink pedicure.

"What do you think?" I asked, wiggling my toes.

"Come with me to the infirmary. Jill needs to talks to you." His tone left no room for argument.

I looked down at my freshly painted nails. Any pair of socks I put on right now would be ruined. Sighing, I slipped into flip-flops, despite the fact that it was well below freezing outside.

Dimitri's long strides had me almost jogging to keep up on the walk to the infirmary.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Physically, just fine." He looked down at me out of the corner of his eye. "I saw you pay him."

He was angry with me. Very, very angry.

"I promise you, I didn't pick the target. I just wanted an excuse to leave that Godforsaken dance," I said. We walked a few more steps in silence. "Does Jill know?"

He shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I should have told him to go after a novice."

"You shouldn't have bribed someone to start a fight in the first place," Dimitri said harshly. Fair point.

The doors to the infirmary cut short our conversation. Jill was sitting up on a gurney, holding an ice pack to the side of her face.

"Hey, kiddo. Don't tell me they had to wheel you in here," I joked, moving to stand beside her. Dimitri hovered in the background, and I knew he'd be listening to every word we said.

Jill shook her head, wincing as the blood rushed to her bruise. "Why do they hate me?" she asked in a small voice.

"No one hates you," I said, squeezing her free hand gently. "Your new identity threw a wrench at the royal status quo. People are trying to figure out what it means for them, and they're doing a terrible job of it. They're children playing politics."

"It isn't fair," she said.

"It isn't fair, and it isn't nice," I agreed. "But it is."

She nodded sadly. "Whoever told about my dad took a lot from me. My identity, my friends, my privacy." Her eyes flicked quickly toward Dimitri, and her voice dropped. "After graduation, I can request my own guardian, right?"

"Yes," I said warily.

"Would you do it?" she asked eagerly. "I wouldn't mind so much if it was you."

"My allocation isn't really up to me, and I don't have very good standing with the establishment right now. They might rather keep me stuffed away under Alberta's thumb."

"Maybe, but maybe not, right? There's a chance they'd let you be my guardian?" She looked so lonely, so vulnerable, that I just had to give her hope.

I smiled. "Maybe I could be your guardian."

"Thank you, thank you!" she squealed and threw her arms around my neck, accidentally thumping me with the ice pack in the process. Dr. Olendski walked over to see what had bothered Jill, then smiled when she saw me. I'd been a pretty frequent flier at the infirmary back in my day.

"Now, how about you let Guardian Belikov or I walk you back to your room?" I asked.

"Actually, I thought she could sleep here," Dr. Olendski offered. "There won't be as much swelling if she keeps her head elevated overnight."

"Makes sense to me. Do you need anything?" I asked Jill.

"No. Guardian Belikov already brought over some books, a change of clothes, and my pajamas."

"Okay, then. I'll see you around, kiddo."

As I left, I heard Jill and Dr. Olendski trying to work out a comfortable way to strap the ice pack to her head while she slept. I chuckled at the mental image.

Dimitri followed me all the way from the infirmary to my room. Clearly he had more to say. I let him in first, not wanting him between me and the exit in case I needed to bolt.

"First you hire someone to hurt my charge, then you try to steal my allocation," he accused. Both statements were almost correct, yet also completely wrong.

"You think I'm trying to make you look bad," I said, squashing the temptation to point out that such a thing was physically impossible.

"Why else would you encourage Jill to request you as a guardian when I was standing right there?"

"Maybe because it comforted her to think that she had the tiniest opportunity to control a single decision in her own life, and I wasn't going to take that away from her," I shouted. Embarrassingly, tears sprung to my eyes. My feet were warming up after the freezing trek to and from the infirmary, and the slow thaw was incredibly painful.

"Roza, I'm so sorry. You're right, and I overreacted. Please don't cry," he begged. The transformation from towering god to anxious comforter was stunning.

"It's not that." I climbed onto the bed and drew my legs against my chest so that I could reach down and rub my feet. They were purplish blue from cold.

Dimitri swore softly at the sight. "Sit back," he commanded.

I scooted backward until I could lean against the headboard, leaving my feet flat against the mattress. Dimitri tossed aside his long coat and sat on top of my feet, facing sideways on the bed. I moaned as his body heat enveloped my aching toes.

He chuckled at the sound. "My sisters used to make me do this when their feet got too cold after ice skating. They said my body is practically a furnace."

"Clever girls." I reached forward and wrapped my hands around his bicep, tucking my fingers into his armpit. He winced at the cold invasion, more immediate through his t-shirt than the seat of his pants. "I thought you'd be tougher after growing up in an arctic wasteland," I teased.

"Siberia is a lot like Montana. It's colder in the middle of winter, sure, but it gets just as hot in summer."

"How would you know? You haven't spent summer _or_ winter in Montana yet."

"Actually, I have," he said. "Before coming to the academy, I spent three years at a large household only a few hours from here."

"That was right after Ivan?" I asked gently.

Dimitri nodded. "Eventually, Art thought it was time for me to get back out on my own. That's when I was assigned to Jill."

Within driving distance of St. Vlad's, there weren't many Moroi families big enough to merit a team of guardians. Only one team had a leader who could conceivably be called "Art".

"You worked with Arthur Schoenberg?" I asked, awestruck. During my senior year, we heard about how Schoenberg and his team had fought off a large group of Strigoi that tried to slaughter their charges. Based on the timeline he had just mentioned, Dimitri must have been around for that battle.

Dimitri nodded, the hint of a smile playing around his lips.

"Oh. My. God." I shoved his shoulder playfully, and the full smile broke through. "Tell me everything! What's he like? How often do you talk to him? Did he ask you to call him Art?"

Dimitri shifted so that his side rested against my legs, wrapping an arm around my knees. He regaled me with tales of the great Arthur Schoenberg while I peppered him with questions. Eventually we exhausted his stories, and I realized it was getting late. My feet were comfortably warm by now, but I didn't want Dimitri to leave. It was rare to see him relaxed and open like this, and I wouldn't be the one to break the spell.

It didn't make sense, I thought suddenly, that Dimitri was so closed off around the staff at St. Vlad's. From his stories, it sounded like he had been friendly enough with "Art" and the gang. Of course, he had worked with them for years. Maybe it took that long to wear down his guard. If that was the case, he must feel lonely a lot lately.

My inner monologue was disrupted when Dimitri gently lowered his head so that it rested on my knees. I stifled a gasp. Before I could over-think it, I reached out and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed and nestled closer against me. I repeated the action, preening him. After a while his breathing slowed and I wondered if he had fallen asleep.

"Are you sleepy, cowboy?" I asked quietly.

He nodded against my knees.

"I can't let you stay here. It isn't time yet." I eased him to his feet and guided him to the door. "Goodnight, Dimitri."

"Goodnight, Roza," he said blearily. He kept his eyes half closed, and I suspected that he would fall into bed the minute he got to his own room.

Rachel would never believe I had Dimitri in my bed and didn't even try to take advantage of him. I decided not to tell her.


	7. Punishment

I kicked my heels against the floor while I waited on a bench outside Headmistress Kirova's office. This room hadn't changed since the first time I came here fourteen years ago.

"You look like a five-year-old waiting to learn her punishment," Dimitri said, laughter in his voice and in his eyes. He strolled past the receptionist's desk, hands stuffed into his pockets.

"I'll have you know I made it to age six before anyone sent me all the way to Kirova," I said primly.

"What did you do?" he asked, already amused.

"I threw a book at my first grade writing teacher and called her a fascist bastard." I grinned. I loved telling that story.

Dimitri groaned. "Did you even know what that meant?"

"No, but I had good aim."

"I bet you did." He smiled and sat beside me on the long wooden bench.

"So, are you in trouble?" I teased.

He shook his head. "Are you?" he asked seriously.

"The opposite. I'm waiting for Kirova to finish chewing out some poor novice I caught selling test answers." I hummed restlessly and glanced around the room again. "Perspective really changes a place, doesn't it?"

He nodded slowly.

"I mean, of course being a student here was totally unlike being a guardian. Even as a guardian, though, it makes a difference how far along someone is in their career. For very young guardians, an academy post is a punishment. For the older ones, it's like a working retirement, a twisted reward for surviving long enough."

"And for the rest of us?" Dimitri asked.

I shrugged. "This job is just a stepping stone to someplace else."

The inner door opened and I leaped to my feet. Part of my mind registered the immediate loss of warmth where my thigh had unwittingly been pressed against Dimitri's. "What's the damage, David?" I asked the lanky dhampir boy who exited toward us.

"A week's detention and two days of community service," he said glumly.

"That sounds about right," I said. "Hey, you should have tattled on Sara for the prank with the fountain. Then you might have ended up with a community service date."

He blushed when I mentioned his crush. "How did you know that was Sara?"

"I didn't until just now." I winked slyly at him.

David smacked himself in the forehead. "Stupid, stupid. She's going to hate me for squealing."

"I won't tell if you won't," I offered. "It'll boost my reputation as an all-seeing, all-knowing, super-guardian."

Dimitri snorted skeptically behind me. I'd almost forgotten he was there (as if that were possible). I glared at him and tossed my hair haughtily over one shoulder.

"Come on, David. Let's get you to class." I ushered him ahead of me into the hallway.

After dropping off David at Stan's classroom, I went to the guardian lounge for lunch. Dimitri walked in shortly after I sat down. To my surprise, he brought his food over and sat across from me. I guess he and I had made some serious social headway the night of the dance.

"You said being here is a punishment. What are you being punished for?" he asked.

"Jeez, Dimitri, have you ever heard of small talk? Like, _hey, Rose, that's a really nice jacket. Where'd you get it?_ "

"I know where you got your jacket. It's part of the uniform," Dimitri said, obstinately not smiling. I swear, this man could be even more stubborn than I was sometimes.

"That was just an example," I grumbled.

"If you don't want to talk about it -"

I waved away the rest of his sentence. "Then I shouldn't have brought it up," I finished for him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"For once, I did absolutely nothing to be punished for. Actually, that's not true. I've been blamed plenty of times for stuff I didn't do, but that was because I confessed to keep Liss- to keep someone else out of trouble."

His lips curved up in a smile. He seemed to be doing that a lot more lately.

"Have you heard of Adrian Ivashkov?" I asked.

The smile gave way to a worried expression. "Only rumors."

"Any that involved me?"

"No." He shook his head.

"Tatiana would be pleased. She successfully snuffed those out."

"The queen? Rose, I don't understand," Dimitri said.

I sighed. "Apparently, Adrian is the queen's favorite great-nephew or something like that. I was his guardian for most of last year, and he spent the entire time trying to 'win my heart' as he put it. For a playboy to suddenly turn to romance, well, that caught people's attention. Half of court, including Tatiana, became convinced that I would lure him into an 'advantageous marriage'. She sent me away for his well-being." I met Dimitri's furious gaze and shrugged. "They come first, right?"

"Not always." His voice was low and determined. It warned of a story that he didn't often tell. For once, I held my tongue and waited. "I actually knew my Moroi father," he continued after a pause. "He is my three sisters' father also. When he came around, he liked to hit my mother."

I hissed sympathetically.

"One day, I hit back. I told him he wasn't welcome in our home, and if he ever came back I would kill him. By that point I was taller than him, and much stronger."

"How old were you?" I asked softly.

"Thirteen."

"That's awful. I mean, totally impressive skills on your part, but awful what happened. Did he stay away?"

Dimitri smiled grimly. "We never saw him again."

I reached for his hand and squeezed gently. "It must have been hard for you to stand up to your father."

Dimitri shook his head. "I wish it had been harder for me to hurt him. Vika, my little sister, hid from me for days after. She was only five at the time."

"You were protecting her, protecting all of them. I'm sure she can understand that."

"My grandmother said I only proved what she always knew: that I was a better man than my father," he said. Different cultures all had their own threshold to adulthood, but I agreed that beating up your dad to save your family made you a man. No wonder Dimitri was so serious.

"You should play more," I said.

"Huh?" Dimitri looked startled by my change in topic.

"So eloquent," I teased. "You run, you train, you work, and you play pool, which you obviously take way too seriously." We both grinned, remembering the time I had convinced him that Alberta understood what he was saying when he cursed up a storm in Russian after missing a pool shot. "What do you do for fun?" I asked.

"I read."

I looked at him aghast. "Reading is not fun."

He smiled. "It is for me. And I actually like sparring."

"Me too, but technically it's still part of the job."

"What do you do, then?" he challenged.

"Um..." Now that I thought about it, my fun-loving ways had pretty much died when I graduated. Partying, dancing, and drinking didn't mix well with the guardian lifestyle.

Dimitri raised a smug eyebrow.

"This is unacceptable." I tapped my fork against my plate, thinking hard. Then I felt a slow smile creep across my face, reflecting my latest stroke of genius. "You're in luck, cowboy. I just had a fantastic idea."

At that, the badass fighter sitting across from me looked appropriately apprehensive.

Fifteen minutes later, Dimitri and I were standing in my favorite room on campus. This place had been my very first stop when I returned as a guardian, even before my living quarters. It was variously known as The Lockup, Confiscation Cupboard, or, as I fondly called it, The Room of Forbidden Things.

The walls were lined with shelves and lockers, and huge fabric bins clustered in the center. Every container overflowed with contraband: unauthorized weapons, banned toys, pranks killed in their infancy, and every form of alcohol under the sun. As usual, I spent the first minute of my visit simply basking in the wrongness of it all. Teenage Rose Hathaway could have wreaked havoc with the contents of this room - and did once, on the most epic senior prank day St. Vlad's had ever seen.

After paying homage to the glorious Room of Forbidden Things, I focused on the task at hand. Dimitri and I needed some playful entertainment. I scanned the shelves, looking for inspiration. Then I spotted it. The perfect activity. Dimitri helped me dig through the boxes, and it turned out we had enough confiscated equipment for loads of guardians to participate. Now all we needed were volunteers.

The following Sunday, the snowy woods beyond the elementary campus were the site of St. Vlad's first ever guardian paintball match. My team won.


	8. Family

It felt weird to spend Christmas at the academy again. I hadn't spent the holiday here since I was thirteen. Decorations had been up all month, so that was no different, but campus had been eerily quiet for the past week with most students home visiting family. Most Moroi students, that is. Plenty of dhampir students stuck around, but I was in the Moroi dorm because Jill was here.

Given her still-uncertain status as "the Dragomir bastard", Jill's parents had decided it was safer for her not to travel, so they came to the academy. We let them camp out in the lounge at the end of her otherwise deserted hallway rather than walking back and forth to guest housing. By we, I mean Dimitri and I. The administration did _not_ know that a couple of Moroi were sleeping on crummy dorm couches.

Today the lounge felt truly festive, with presents stashed under the tree and deliciously spicy smells wafting from the kitchenette. A large and ragtag group had gathered to celebrate Christmas together. Jill and her parents were here, which of course meant Dimitri. To my surprise, Dimitri had his own holiday visitors. Tasha Ozera, a friend from way back apparently, had come to campus because Dimitri couldn't (or more likely, wouldn't) get away. Her nephew Christian had tagged along, having no other close family since his parents voluntarily turned Strigoi when he was a child. I joined at Jill's invitation, and Celeste rounded out the ratio of guardians to Moroi.

Celeste and I stood off to the side, chatting and watching the two little family units. Christian was as broody and antisocial as I remembered from when we were classmates at St. Vlad's. Jill seemed genuinely relaxed with her mom and stepdad. Dimitri looked similarly at ease with Tasha.

"Something is going on there," I said, directing Celeste's attention to Tasha and Dimitri. "She's into him."

"Who wouldn't be?" Celeste quipped.

I shook my head. "I'm serious. She came all this way to see him, and she hasn't stopped touching him the whole time they've been talking."

"Yeah, but they've known each other for years, right? If she was going to make a move, she would have done it already," Celeste said.

"Maybe they used to be together and she's trying to win him back," I suggested. Celeste looked skeptical. "I bet you a six pack that Tasha came here to get into Dimitri's pants," I said.

"I dunno," Celeste said.

"Ha. You think I might be right," I jeered.

"Fine." She extended her hand, and we shook on the bet. "It's not like he'd tell either of us if he was in a relationship, anyway."

My stomach clenched at the truth in her words. For all I knew, Dimitri and Tasha had some kind of long-distance deal that he had never mentioned. After all, why should he have told me? Before I could stew on the heart-wrenching possibility, a more immediate problem demanded my attention.

The lounge doors faced down the long hallway of the dorm, and through the glass panes a flash of movement caught my eye. Two familiar green-eyed Moroi wandered our way, peering through windows and poking their heads through doorways. They were looking for someone. I hoped it was me.

"Uh oh," I said, loudly enough for only Celeste to hear. She followed my gaze. Though she didn't know the man, Celeste instantly recognized Lissa Dragomir. Her long platinum blonde hair was unmistakable.

"Did you invite her?" Celeste asked softly. Like I wanted to spice up our Christmas celebration with some family drama between Lissa, her half sister Jill, and the woman with whom her father had cheated on her mother.

"No," I hissed. "I had no idea she was even on campus. They can't meet like this." I glanced anxiously at Jill and her parents. Dimitri, observant as ever, noticed my agitation and broke off his conversation with Tasha to check in with Celeste and I.

"Cover for me," I whispered to Celeste. Then I dashed off to waylay Lissa without losing any more time to explanations.

I sprinted down the hallway toward Lissa and Adrian, wanting to stop them as far away from Jill as possible.

"Surprise!" Adrian crowed when he saw me coming.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Lissa frowned at my poor welcome. "I mean, it's lovely to see you, but..." I tugged them into an empty study room well away from the lounge. "What's going on?"

"Merry Christmas!" Lissa shouted, throwing her arms around my neck in a hug that loaded all of her weight onto my shoulders. She squeezed once, tightly, before releasing me.

I dodged Adrian's hug and took a seat on the other side of the study table. The setup reminded me of an interrogation. "So is this just a carpooling situation, or are you guys friends now?" I asked.

"Actually, Adrian and I have been spending a lot of time together since you left, and something incredible has happened," Lissa said, beaming.

I knew Tatiana had banished me in the hope that Adrian would fall in love with a suitable royal. Someone like Lissa, I realized. "Don't tell me you two..." I trailed off, gesturing between them.

"No way," Lissa cried, so vehemently that if I were Adrian I would have been insulted.

Adrian didn't care. "I only have eyes for you, little dhampir," he said. It seemed he was as hung up on me as ever. Maybe even more so, if that were possible.

"Then, what?" I asked.

"We discovered a new magical element." Lissa's eyes shone with excitement. "It's called spirit. It's rare, unpredictable, and we both have it."

"You too?" I asked Adrian. He nodded. "Well, that explains a lot."

Neither Lissa nor Adrian had ever specialized in one of the four traditional elements: water, fire, earth, and air. With Adrian, people wrote it off to his general slacker tendencies. Falling behind her peers hit Lissa hard, though. By senior year, when she was being held back in sophomore elemental classes, Lissa was clinically depressed. Sometimes she got so down on herself that she cut her skin, with razor blades or even her fingernails. That was why her parents kept her at home after high school instead of letting her go away to college like her brother Andre. Even on medication, Lissa still had the occasional violent mood swing.

"More than you know," Lissa continued. "Apparently, spirit has a huge effect on a user's mood. If we don't touch the magic, we get irritable, and if we use it too much, we could go insane."

"It's a balancing act," Adrian added.

"Sounds like an understatement," I grumbled. "I think you're better off with the drugs."

"I'm still taking my meds," Lissa said quickly. "There's a long way to go before we understand spirit. That's why we're here."

"You mean you didn't come all this way just to give me Christmas presents?" I joked.

"I figured our presence was presents enough," Adrian said grandly.

Outwardly, I groaned at the pun, but inside I was puzzled. The Adrian I knew never passed up a chance to shower me with expensive gifts that I always immediately returned. Maybe he really had changed.

"Everyone knows that Ms. Karp never specialized either. We think she might be another spirit user," Lissa explained, ignoring Adrian's theatrics.

As a guardian, I hardly interacted with the Moroi teachers at St. Vlad's, but I remembered Ms. Karp from my time as a student here. One particular memory stood out right now.

 _I dangled from the ledge outside my dorm room window, steeling myself for the two-story drop. Suddenly, my grip slipped and I tumbled to the ground, skinning my hands and knees against the stone wall on the way down. I cursed as I stood and pain shot up my right leg from my ankle._

 _"You ought to be more careful, Rose," Ms. Karp's wispy voice chided from directly behind me. "What good is sneaking out to a party if you can't dance when you get there?"_

 _I whirled around, startled, and took in her bedraggled hair, sodden slippers, and dirt-streaked robe. "Are you sleepwalking?" I asked hesitantly._

 _Ms. Karp laughed. "No. My flowers live in the sunshine, and sometimes I like to be awake when they are. May I?"_

 _She reached toward me. I had no idea what she was asking permission to do, but I nodded dumbly. She took my hands in hers, and the scrapes disappeared. The skin wasn't even pink. I took a step, and my ankle held. Somehow, Ms. Karp had healed my injuries. It was the kind of thing only happened in stories, like the legends of St. Vladimir. Back then, they would have called Ms. Karp a miracle worker or a witch._

"You should research St. Vladimir," I told Lissa and Adrian. "The stories say he performed miracles, but maybe instead of God, he was helped by this spirit magic."

Lissa looked stunned. "That's a good idea, Rose. We'll have to spend some time in the library, too," she told Adrian. He grimaced.

"How long are you here for?" I asked, wondering if I could swap shifts to get more time off this week.

"Indefinitely," said Adrian, grinning widely.

"We'll stay as long as it takes to learn what we need to know. Probably a month or two," Lissa clarified.

"That's great," I said, hiding my apprehension. "Especially because right now I'm on the clock and I need to get back. You're staying in guest housing?"

Lissa nodded. "Second floor."

"I'll catch up with you tomorrow, then." I hugged her again and walked the two of them downstairs to the dorm's main entrance.

Adrian lit up as soon as he stepped outside. I stood in the doorway and watched Lissa chatter excitedly while Adrian puffed on a cigarette. Her optimism about spirit was contagious. If they succeeded, I'd finally get the chance to be her guardian. Well, assuming she forgave me when she found out I had befriended Jill. I had a month, maybe two, to ease Lissa into a relationship with her surprise sibling, or I'd be stuck in guardian limbo forever.


	9. Advice

Dimitri knocked softly on my door frame. When I was in, I pretty much left the door open unless I was sleeping or changing. "Rose? I need to ask your advice."

"You know who you're talking to, right? Rose Hathaway, queen of poor life choices?" I asked, only half joking.

"I know you'll be straight with me," Dimitri said simply.

"Fair point," I conceded. "Come on in."

Dimitri closed the door behind him. I raised my eyebrows. Looks like we were in for a serious discussion. Since I was sitting in my desk chair, Dimitri perched on the edge of the bed.

"Okay, shoot," I said.

He stared down at his hands where they clasped and unclasped in his lap. "Tasha asked me to be her guardian."

"Ha! I was right." Celeste owed me a six pack. I had bet her that Tasha would make a move on Dimitri. I wasn't happy about it, but booze would take the edge off.

His head snapped up to look at me. "Right about what?"

"Nothing. Please, go on," I said demurely.

He raised a suspicious eyebrow but continued. "She wants to start a family. With me. Tasha wants me to be the father of her children."

"Wow," I breathed. "That's really...wow. Adrian made me an offer like that once. I mean, children weren't explicitly mentioned, but they were bound to crop up given how much he likes to get it on."

"Too much information, Rose," Dimitri said dryly.

"Right," I said. "Back to you and Tasha. You want my advice?"

Dimitri nodded.

"Do it."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah. Clearly you two get along, and you'd go over the moon when the kids were born."

"I never told you I wanted children," Dimitri said.

I laughed. "I've heard the way you talk about your family, Dimitri. You adore your nephew and nieces, even though you barely see them. I can tell you want to raise children of your own. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity -"

"Actually," he interjected, "Tasha offered me this...position twice before."

"Oh." I frowned. "So put her off again, if you're not ready."

"That's the problem. She's approaching her mid-thirties, and she isn't willing to wait any longer."

"She gave you an ultimatum, huh?"

He smiled wryly. "That pretty much sums it up."

"Rose Hathaway, champion nutsheller," I murmured. Dimitri looked puzzled by my comment. "Ugh, sometimes I forget English isn't your first language. 'In a nutshell' means, like, saying something in the shortest possible way. As if it could fit inside a nutshell." I made a circle with my thumb and forefinger to demonstrate.

"We're getting off topic again, Rose," Dimitri said, smiling slightly. He ran a hand through his hair, dislodging a few strands and sending them swinging down to frame his gorgeous face. "I don't know what to do."

"What's holding you back from Tasha's offer?"

"Jill."

I wrinkled my nose in mock disgust. "She's, what, ten years younger than you? Adrian would call you a cradle robber."

Dimitri sighed. "Please be serious, Rose. And stop talking about Adrian."

"Jill will be fine without you. Hell, she's already started looking for your replacement," I joked, referring to the night in the infirmary when Jill begged me to become her guardian after she graduated.

"Touche." Dimitri's small smile faded after a few moments.

"There's more," I said. It wasn't a question.

Dimitri looked down at his hands again. "I'm afraid I won't be a very good father."

"Hey." I slid off my chair to kneel in front of him and grasp his hands. "You are going to be an amazing father."

"How?" he asked. "I had a terrible example."

"Okay, that's a minor handicap," I admitted. "But you are going to love your kids so much that you'll figure it out. Tasha will help, too." I frowned as an unpleasant thought struck me. "I just hope her brother didn't decide to turn Strigoi because they had some kind of screwed up childhood. It would be better if at least one of you had experienced a decent home life."

Dimitri laughed aloud and shook his head. More of his silky hair freed itself from where it was tucked behind his ears. "Oh, Rose," he sighed, rubbing circles into the back of my hand with his thumb. I stared down at his hands in mine. If I looked up, I'd see his face only inches away. _This is dangerous territory, Rose._

I stood and shrugged before slouching in my desk chair once more. "You're afraid to get attached. It's why you're so distant with Jill. The history you have with Tasha means you can't keep her at arm's length." I smirked. "Especially if you mean to make a baby."

"Subtle, Rose."

"You're scared that losing someone else you care about will destroy you the way Ivan's death did. But, Dimitri, Tasha is perfect for you for that very reason." I absently ran a hand over my left cheek, where Tasha bore the scars she'd earned fending off her brother and sister-in-law after they turned Strigoi. "A martial arts instructor and offensive fire magic user? You couldn't ask for a less helpless charge. If you two were attacked by Strigoi, she'd be right by your side, kicking ass."

Dimitri stared at a point over my shoulder, eyes unfocused. "You're right," he said finally.

"Two words I dearly love to hear," I said smugly. "Well, go tell your woman the good news. I can even rustle up some condoms if you two want to...celebrate." I waggled my eyebrows suggestively.

"Rose," Dimitri groaned. "You promised not to proposition me unless you were drunk."

"Really, really, drunk," I corrected. "Besides, it doesn't count if I'm offering to help you sleep with someone else. Although you probably don't want condoms, do you? Better to get the baby-making started right away."

Dimitri rubbed his face with his hands. "Tasha has waited years. She can wait a little longer."

"What's the matter now?" I knew I sounded exasperated, but the man was being ridiculous. Dimitri had come to me, of all people, to convince him to be with someone else. Any hope I had of hooking up with him had died when he mentioned the possibility of children. Why was he still hesitating?

"I don't want to leave Jill in the middle of the school year." He held up a hand to stop my protest. "Yes, she would be happy with you, but you're officially assigned to the academy. Jill has had enough people walk away from her lately. I want to leave on her terms, not mine."

"That's really considerate of you," I said, impressed.

"She can request a new guardian after graduation, so I'd like to stay with her until then. You will agree to be her guardian if she requests you?"

I ran a hand through my hair, worrying it. "I can't promise that right now. Lissa is my best friend, and learning about Jill and her dad's affair was really hard on her. I want to make Lissa see that it's not Jill's fault, but I need time."

"Well, we have six months," Dimitri said, rising to his feet. "Let me know if I can help."

"I will."

He walked to the door and paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Rose? Thank you."

I simply nodded, watching him leave the room in silence. He seemed...sad. I guess if he was thrilled about the situation with Tasha, he wouldn't have needed so much convincing. Had he hoped to get different advice? What if I had let him down somehow? I needed to talk to Lissa before I went crazy second-guessing myself.


	10. Jealousy

I strode confidently across the quad toward guest housing, gloating over my high school self. Here it was, broad daylight and well after curfew, and I was free to go anywhere on campus. It felt good to be a guardian.

As I knocked on Lissa's door, I realized this was the first time she had visited the academy since graduation. Back when we were students, I would have barged right into her dorm room. Lissa answered the door in her pajamas. "Rose. Hey." She glanced past me down the hallway.

"Were you expecting someone else?" I asked.

"No, of course not. Come on in." She led the way to the sitting area. I flopped face-first onto the couch while Lissa sat demurely in an armchair. "What's up?"

"I want someone I can't have," I mumbled into the cushions.

"Rose, I can't understand a word you're saying," Lissa said.

Ugh. I had come here to confess that I was crushing on Dimitri, but now I couldn't bring myself to say the words out loud. Maybe I could ease into it.

I rolled sideways, then sat up. "What's the deal with Adrian? I mean, no presents? That's not like him."

"He's broke," Lissa said flatly. "His dad cut him off."

"That won't last long. Daniella can never deny her baby anything."

"There's nothing she can do. Nathan holds the purse strings, always has. She used to be able to talk him around, but he isn't budging this time," Lissa said.

"What happened?"

"Adrian threw a fit after you left. He stalked Queen Tatiana for days, demanding that she bring you back. When that failed, he went on a bender. He spent most of his time wandering around Court bad-mouthing the queen. That's when Nathan kicked him out."

I sighed. "That sounds like Adrian. He seemed sober enough today, though."

"He can't afford both cigarettes and liquor, and he won't give up the cigarettes." Even good-natured Lissa had a hard time keeping the judgment out of her voice.

"Between you, Adrian, and crazy Ms. Karp, you have quite the spirit research dream team," I said dryly.

Lissa looked crestfallen, and I instantly regretted my teasing. What if my comment sent her into another downward spiral? I cast around for some way to cheer her up. I was about to start mocking Christian's failure to socialize at our Christmas party when I heard a faint knock at the door. Lissa nearly jumped out of her skin. Talk about suspicious behavior.

"Another late night visitor?" I asked.

"Rose, please," Lissa begged. "Be nice."

She rose to her feet, but I was faster. I threw the door open and stood face to face with - "Christian Ozera," I said dully.

"Funny, that's my name too." He strolled into the room and perched nonchalantly on the arm of Lissa's chair.

"What the hell, Liss?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

Lissa cringed, pressing against his side. They looked very comfortable together. As comfortable as Dimitri was with Tasha the other day.

"You're dating," I said.

Lissa nodded, waiting for my reaction.

"For how long?" I asked.

"A few...six...months. I got lonely after you left," she said defensively. _Left_ , I scoffed internally. More like, _was forced into exile_. "Mom suggested a project, but I can't stand all those committees and things she works on."

"Aunt Tasha invited her to join the Moroi combat training program," Christian said. "We didn't know about spirit then, of course. Tasha just thought it would help the cause to have a Dragomir on board."

"Really?" Lissa frowned. "Was that the only reason -"

"Hang on," I interrupted. "Did you know Lissa would be here for Christmas?" I asked Christian.

"I sure didn't tag along just to watch my aunt throw herself at Guardian Belikov for the millionth time," he said dryly.

I was fuming. Christian had sat in the same room as Jill and her mother, knowing Lissa might appear at any minute, and didn't even think to give me a heads up. "You're either totally selfish or totally clueless," I told him. "Probably both."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"He didn't do anything wrong, Rose," Lissa said.

"No? I guess you thought it would be cool if Lissa showed up while you were chatting with Jill and Emily Mastrano," I challenged him.

"I didn't say a word to either of them!" Christian objected. "You were the one acting all buddy-buddy."

"Are you _friends_ with Jill now?" Lissa asked me, her voice unusually cold.

"Everyone abandoned her," I said.

"She's a homewrecker!" Lissa cried.

"That's a little harsh, Liss," I said. "The affair wasn't Jill's fault."

"I cannot believe you," she said.

"What about you? Were you ever going to tell me about your new boyfriend?" I asked, gesturing derisively at Christian.

"I don't know! Yes. Maybe. I figured you'd get all judgy, and you are," she retorted.

"Well, yeah. Don't you remember what a creepy jerk he was in high school? Jesus Christ. Fucking Christian Ozera," I said darkly. Lissa blushed crimson. Oddly enough, I did too when I realized what I'd said. "That's not what I meant, but you are, aren't you?" I demanded.

Lissa gulped and nodded. Christian just smiled smugly and slipped an arm around her waist.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it." I grabbed my jacket and stormed out. Lissa and I weren't going to be having a heart to heart about my non-relationship with Dimitri any time soon.

* * *

"Hey, little dhampir." Adrian's charismatic voice carried over the clang of the weight machines in the gym. "Can we talk?"

I had to give him props for patience. Lissa and Adrian had been on campus for over a week, and he hadn't pestered me at all. He seemed entirely focused on their mission to understand spirit. It couldn't hurt to let him have one conversation.

"Sure," I said. "Two more sets, and then I'm done."

"I'll wait outside," he said.

After my workout, I toweled off and grabbed a bottle of water before exiting through the door Adrian had used. Bitter cold and a familiar cloud of clove-scented smoke smacked me in the face as soon as I stepped outside. "I thought you were too poor to smoke now," I said, waving to clear the air.

"Depends on my luck. There aren't many gamblers on campus, so I may have to cut back," he said.

"Plus, it's a two-hour drive to the nearest store," I pointed out.

"True." He took a long drag, then held it in for a moment before releasing a puff of smoke. I coughed and stepped upwind of him. "I heard an interesting rumor. Tasha Ozera is running around Court bragging about her scorchingly sexy new guardian," he said. I raised my eyebrows. "Her words, not mine. Tasha says they spent Christmas together, but she was here for Christmas, wasn't she?" Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Do you know him?"

"Kind of. He's here guarding Jill Mastrano," I said.

"Lissa's half-sister." Adrian breathed out another gray cloud. "So Tasha was lying."

"No. He agreed to be her guardian after Jill graduates."

"He's not just going to be her guardian though, is he?" Adrian asked. Jeez, Tasha had to be totally shameless if she was telling people about her guardian-with-benefits offer. Though if any man were worth showing off to the entire Moroi population, it would be Dimitri Belikov.

"That's none of my business," I lied.

"She's already buying baby clothes." Adrian sounded angry, but for the life of me, I couldn't think why.

"Don't tell me you're hung up on Tasha Ozera now?" I joked. "I thought you only had eyes for me."

"I do, Rose." He tossed aside the cigarette and took both my hands in his. "I want to give you everything, just like Tasha and guardian what's-his-name."

"Belikov," I supplied automatically. "Dimitri Belikov."

"Don't you see? We won't be taboo now. Tatiana can't disapprove of our relationship anymore, because that would mean insulting Tasha too."

I shook him off. "We don't have a relationship, Adrian. I'm not ready for that life, and I won't be for years."

"I'll wait."

"You can't even wait five minutes for a cigarette," I scoffed.

Affection turned to rage in an instant. "I stood up for you, Rose. When everyone called you a slut, I defended you. I begged Tatiana to change her mind, told her I'd do anything -" He stopped suddenly, looking guilty.

"Anything except what?" I challenged.

"She said you could have any allocation you wanted if I promised to stay away from you," he said sulkily.

A tiny part of me had always wondered what a relationship with Adrian would be like. Being his girlfriend couldn't be that much harder than being his guardian, I reasoned. Now, I understood how loving Adrian drove people to desperation. He was selfish and short-sighted, and he needed a lot of looking after.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "I'm going to stay away from you."

"I can have you sent somewhere awful," he threatened. "Like Siberia."

I grinned, thinking of Dimitri. "Actually, I've heard Siberia isn't half bad."

Adrian blinked rapidly, as if holding back tears. "Why won't you love me, Rose?"

"I think," I said slowly, "it's because you don't love yourself."

He gazed at me silently. His hand crept into his pocket and emerged holding an empty pack of cigarettes. Slowly, he crushed the carton and tossed it at my feet. Then he turned on his heel and marched back toward guest housing, slogging through the snow in order to take the most direct path.

I stared after him, hugging myself for warmth. Maybe he'd die of cirrhosis or lung cancer in the next ten years, and I'd have another shot at being a real guardian before I was completely over the hill. No, that thought was too awfully morbid. I prayed to any god who was listening that my wish stayed unfulfilled. If Adrian did die, it wouldn't be on my conscience. I'd rather end up in Siberia.


	11. Wrong Number

An insistent ringing jostled me from sleep, and I scrambled to find my phone in the pocket of the jacket I had left crumpled on the floor.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to sound more awake than I felt.

"Dimka?" The female voice on the line tensed with confusion.

"No. What the -" I held the device away from my ear. The background picture was wrong. Now that I thought about it, the ringtone was wrong, too. This wasn't my phone.

"Shit," I said into the receiver. "Oops, sorry. I can be such a potty mouth. Look, I work with Dimitri. I must have picked up his phone by accident. Are you his mom?"

"Yes, this is Olena."

"Here, I'll give you my number since he probably has my phone right now. That way you won't miss talking to him." I recited the digits and had Olena read them back to me, her Russian accent slightly thicker than Dimitri's. "He should answer, but if he doesn't you'll know you dialed the right number when the voicemail recording says Rose Hathaway."

"Rose? Oh my goodness, it's so nice to finally meet you," Olena exclaimed. "Mama, girls, come quickly. Rose is on the phone!"

Why the hell did Dimitri's mother know who I was? Not just his mother, even, but his whole family. I had heard stories about them, of course. Did he talk to them about me? I flipped on the lights and gulped a mouthful from my water bottle to clear the sleep fuzz off my teeth.

Footsteps pounded in the background, and seconds later the clamor of younger voices indicated that Dimitri's sisters, at least, had joined the call. "Can we switch to video?" someone asked.

"Um, sure." I pressed the button that would change us over to a video call. Olena sat in the middle, and the older woman beside her must have been Yeva, Dimitri's grandmother. I guessed that the two younger women crowding into the background were his older sisters, Karolina and Sonja, since Dimitri had mentioned that his younger sister Viktoria was a guardian like him.

I waited a few seconds while the four women chattered rapidly in Russian. They were sharing first impressions, I figured. Self-consciously I patted at my bedraggled hair and puffy eyes. Bedhead was not a good look for me. The Belikovs probably thought I was a total slob.

"I am Karolina, and this is Sonja," one of the sisters said, finally switching to English. "Viktoria isn't home, of course."

"She'll be so jealous when she finds out we got to see you," Sonja said.

"You must miss her and Dimitri very much," I said, unsure of what to say to this family that seemed so eager to know me. "Don't you want to see if you can get ahold of him?"

Olena waved her hand dismissively. "Dimka calls us all the time. We want to talk to you."

"I want to see her hair," Sonja said.

"Oh, yes! Show us, please," Karolina added. It seemed like a funny request, but I obliged and brushed it out for them. "Gorgeous," Karolina sighed.

"I can see why Dimka likes it," Sonja agreed.

They proceeded to interrogate me about my hair and skin care regimen. Sonja took notes the whole time to share with Viktoria. Once her daughters were satisfied, Olena asked about my charge. I explained that unlike Dimitri, I was assigned to the academy in general and not a specific student.

Yeva snorted at that and muttered something in Russian. Karolina and Sonja giggled.

"Mama," Olena chided.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"She said that someone with so much fire is good for more than watching over naughty children," Sonja translated.

I grinned. "I'm inclined to agree."

Yeva nodded sharply and said in English, "There are no dead ends in the forest."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Karolina rolled her eyes. "Ignore babushka. She'll say what she means in her own time."

"Usually when it's too late to do any good," Sonja grumbled.

There was a short, awkward silence, and I cast around for a change of subject. "Did Viktoria make it home for Christmas? I know Dimitri wished he could be there."

"No." Olena sounded wistful. "Viktoria couldn't get the time off, and we haven't seen Dimitri since..."

"Since Ivan," I supplied.

"Exactly." The Belikov women nodded sadly.

"Maybe you can convince him to bring Tasha for a visit over the summer," I suggested. I figured the Belikovs would know Tasha since she and Dimitri seemed so close.

"Tasha?" Olena, Karolina, and Sonja repeated in unison. They sounded worried, confused, and angry, respectively. Yeva said nothing at all.

"Not...Natasha Ozera?" Olena asked. Karolina and Sonja exchanged a dark look.

"Yeah. He's going to be her guardian," I said.

"When was this decided?" Olena asked.

"Just over Christmas. Christmas here, not Christmas there," I said, remembering that the holiday was celebrated later in Russia. "I'm sorry, I thought he would have told you already."

"No, but he should have," Karolina said darkly.

"What did she say to him? Did he tell you?" Olena asked.

"Not much, just that she wants to start a family with him," I said.

Yeva hissed and muttered angrily in Russian. Whatever she had said, her family chose not to translate.

"That fool," Sonja said scornfully.

"Tasha?" I asked, confused.

"Dimitri!" cried Sonja. "We warned him that Tasha is a lying, manipulative bitch."

"She's been after him for years. I guess she finally figured out that giving him children is the only way to convince him to be with her," Karolina said.

I nodded slowly. "He did say she made this offer several times before."

"What?" Olena screeched. Apparently Dimitri hadn't told his family about /any/ of his recent interactions with Tasha. Now I really regretted pushing him to accept her.

"I didn't realize..." I sighed. "They seemed so comfortable together."

"She was there?" Karolina asked, outraged. I needed to stop talking. Every time I opened my mouth, I dug Dimitri into a deeper hole.

"Yes. She and her nephew visited the academy for a week at Christmas," I said hesitantly.

"I will talk sense to my son," Olena declared. "It is better to raise children alone than with a partner who takes advantage of you."

Karolina and Sonja, both single mothers as well, nodded vigorously. I was struck with admiration for these women who had been treated poorly by men, but were still strong and protective of their brother and son.

We ended the call, and I began to worry less about the four angry women in Russia and more about the one angry Russian I'd have to face today. Moments later Dimitri knocked on my door, handsome and irresistible as ever. I silently thanked his sisters for making me comb my hair. At least now I looked halfway decent in front of Dimitri.

"Do you have my phone?" he asked, handing mine over. "I was supposed to call Mama half an hour ago."

"Yeah, um." It seemed only fair to warn him. "Your family is going to bawl you out the next time you talk to them."

He accepted his phone with a questioning eyebrow.

"They called, and...I thought you would have told them about Tasha," I said quickly. I closed the door before he could reply, but not before I saw a look of trepidation take over his face. Poor guy. I wouldn't want to face the wrath of the Belikov women.

In my hand, my phone pinged with a text message from an unknown number. _Rose, it's Karolina. Thank you for telling us about Tasha. Don't let Dimka make you feel guilty._

Seconds later another notification told me I had been added to a group text with Karolina, Sonja, and Viktoria. I smiled. Apparently, the Belikov sisters weren't finished with me yet.

* * *

 _A/N: This is very possibly my favorite chapter. Gotta love those Belikov women. After all, they helped build Dimitri._


	12. Together

As the only married couple on staff, Ms. Sonya Karp and Guardian Mikhail Tanner lived in a small cottage near the elementary campus. The house was a relic from the days when teachers used to settle down and raise families here. It had a cute little yard that, come spring, would overflow with flowers.

"Does spirit help with the gardening?" I asked Sonya. Our only other one-on-one conversation had involved plants, so that seemed like a safe topic.

I stood in a corner of the kitchen, keeping out of the way while she finished preparing for her dinner party. I'd found out from Mikhail that they were hosting Lissa and Adrian tonight to celebrate the progress they had made studying spirit.

"Actually, that was one of the first abilities we tested," Sonya said. "That explains why my plants always thrive."

"I'm sure there's some actual gardening talent mixed in," I offered.

Sonya laughed. "I wasn't fishing for compliments, Rose."

"Well, were Lissa and Adrian as good at the plant tests as you?" I asked.

"Not quite. Lissa had some success, but Adrian struggled," Sonya said. "Of course, I've had many years more practice than either of them, even if I had no idea what I was practicing."

"Are you sure you're not fishing? Becuase I feel like now I'm supposed to say you're not that old, or something," I joked.

Sonya laughed again and glanced at the back door. "Ah, here comes Mikhail with your friend," she said, as though she could see through the wood. Moments later, Mikhail entered with a very nervous Jill in tow.

I'd spent the past month coaxing Lissa to give Jill a chance, but Lissa refused to even meet her half-sibling. She was being completely unreasonable. Really, it was her fault I had resorted to trickery.

Mikhail and Sonya had agreed to do me a favor by inviting Jill to dinner tonight. I knew Lissa's sense of right wouldn't let her storm out of the party. Given enough time, Sonya's gentle charm and Adrian's natural charisma would ease Lissa and Jill into a civil conversation. I wouldn't be sticking around, though. Lissa would have no qualms about chewing me out in public, and I'd only serve as a way for her to avoid talking to Jill.

"Hey, Mikhail. Thanks for doing this," I said.

"No problem." He bent down to kiss his wife on the cheek. "I'll just go upstairs and change."

"Come on in, dear," Sonya said to Jill. "Maybe you and Rose would set the table? You'll find the dishes on the sideboard in the dining room."

"Sure," Jill agreed quickly.

I led her into the other room and picked up a stack of plates. Jill followed me around the table with the silverware.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. "Why did Ms. Karp invite me to dinner?"

"Because I asked her to," I explained. "Don't freak out, but Lissa's coming over."

Jill's eyes opened as wide as the saucers in the cupboard. "What do I say to her?"

"I don't know. Let Sonya take the lead at first. Adrian will be here too. He's usually pretty good at carrying a conversation."

"What about you?" Jill asked.

"I won't be here. Look, I've got to go before they show up. You'll do fine." Before she could protest, I ducked back into the kitchen.

Mikhail had returned, wearing casual clothes, and stood with his arms around his wife. "Coward," he teased as I scurried toward the exit.

"Worth it," I called over my shoulder, shutting the door behind me.

Mikhail and Sonya were lucky to have found each other, I thought as I trudged through the snow toward the upper campus. When they were together, their happiness was contagious. Their relationship was another good reason, though, for me to absent myself from the dinner party. Adrian would hold them up as another successful Moroi/dhampir couple. Sonya and Mikhail, Tasha and Dimitri, why not Rose and Adrian?

 _Because we don't complete each other the way they do_ , I told Adrian in my head. From what I'd seen, Dimitri and Tasha paled in comparison to Mikhail and Sonya, but they were still miles ahead of Adrian and me.

I sighed. Without some sort of distraction, I'd end up worrying about Jill and Lissa all night. Fortunately, my gym locker held a spare set of workout gear in case of an exercise emergency. When I reached the machines, I stuck my headphones in so that I could listen to music while I did my weight reps.

Partway through my workout, my phone rang. "Hathaway," I barked into the headset.

"Hi, Rose, it's Karolina. You sound out of breath. Is this a bad time?"

"No, I can talk. I'm just weight training," I explained. "What's up?"

"Well, Sonja is at work, and Zoya and Katya are both down for their nap. You know what that means..." She clapped her hands in excitement. "Pop quiz!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "Hang on, I need to switch machines." My lessons with the Belikov sisters were both fun and distracting, so I only used symmetrical machines while we were talking. That way I didn't risk losing count and overworking one side. "Okay, shoot," I told her once I was situated.

Karolina launched into a review of the Russian curses she and her sisters had been teaching me. At first, she said the phrases in Russian and I replied with the English translation.

"You should see the looks I'm getting from the other guardians," I muttered. "This is strong language even for me."

Karolina giggled. "My son Paul would never believe I know any of these words."

After the easy review, Karolina quizzed me by prompting in English. I had to reply in Russian, and she corrected my pronunciation. Translating this way was much harder, and I scrunched my eyes shut so that I could concentrate on the sound of her voice in my headphones.

"That was much better," Karolina congratulated me. "Soon we can start teaching you to say nice things."

"Maybe we could ease into polite conversation," I suggested. "You know, go over some smutty suggestions that are one step down from offensive."

"Who are you going to flirt with in Russian?" Karolina teased.

"No one," I said, too quickly for my own good. _Definintely not your brother._

Karolina chuckled skeptically. Distant wails sounded in the background, demanding her attention. "Duty calls," she said, a loving smile flavoring her voice.

"Thanks, Karo!" I closed with the most obscene Russian phrase I had learned to date. Grinning, I removed my headphones and opened my eyes.

Standing in front of me, open-mouthed in horror, was Dimitri Belikov. I cackled hysterically. If not for the machine holding me up, I would have been rolling on the floor laughing.

"What's that?" I asked, cupping one hand around my ear. "I can't quite hear you."

"Rose," he said in a low voice. "Do you have any idea what you just said?"

"Oh, I knew exactly what I was saying." I gave him my man-eater smile. "Your sisters are teaching me your favorite Russian curses so that I can tell them how foul-mouthed you are when you think no one understands."

Dimitri let out a choked groan. He looked almost ready to faint.

"They say they need a spy to report back because you're too good at hiding the truth. I agree." I jumped up and grabbed his hand, dragging him to the sparring mats. "Come on, let me show you what I've learned."

"I don't suppose you're talking about a new combat maneuver?" he asked apprehensively.

"Not a chance, cowboy." I bared my teeth in a predatory grin. He gulped.

Taunting Dimitri in his native tongue proved to be an even more effective strategy than I'd hoped. Our match ended when Dimitri raised his hands and stepped outside the boundary circle.

"I'm out," he said, limping toward his gym bag.

"Did I hurt you?" I'd gotten in a few good hits, but none should have done worse than bruise.

"No," he said quickly. Despite his assurance, there was something off about his walk. He was moving more stiffly than usual.

"Are you sure -" I wanted to press the issue, but a group of novices streamed in the main door, distracting me.

I rushed to make sure my bag, water bottle, and phone weren't consumed by the messy pile of student gear. When I looked again for Dimitri, he had already reached the men's locker room. I almost shouted a reminder to take his gym bag, but then saw that he was carrying it, only he had it in front of him instead of over his shoulder.

"I didn't peg you for a sore loser, Belikov," I muttered under my breath. Now I had to walk all the way back to guardian housing without company.

Inside my room, I kicked off my snowy boots and turned on the computer to check for emails before my shower. I had forty new messages since this morning.

"Jeez, popular much?" I mocked myself. Somehow during the last three years, I'd become a lightning rod for discontent among promised guardians. Maybe it was because I had a reputation for not holding any punches, literally or figuratively.

I scrolled through the list as quickly as possible. In some cases, I'd simply been cc'ed on negotiations between guardians looking to swap assignments. These went into their own folder. A few others had written to thank me for helping with their reallocation. Quick reply and delete. Unfortunately, most of the notes were complaints from guardians about their Moroi.

A minor branch of the Conta clan had just burned through its fifth guardian this year. Assigning them another guardian would be absurd. Yet with three small children in the household, how could we deny them protection? I puzzled over the problem for five long minutes before I hit upon a solution: summon them to Court to participate in the Moroi combat program. With the program still in the pilot stage, it could be positioned as an honor to be chosen. The advanced training would disqualify them from receiving a personal guardian afterward, but they would no longer be defenseless on their own.

I made the necessary calls to handle the Conta situation. It took a while, and when I finished my skin was itchy with dried sweat from my workout. Still, I had dozens more problems left to tackle. By the time I cleared out my inbox, three hours had passed. I showered quickly and crawled into bed.

As I drifted off to sleep, it struck me as trivial that a few hours ago I was worried about whether two young royal Moroi would ever become friends.

* * *

 _A/N: There had to be at least one fanfic where Rose successfully mastered Russian obscenity, right?_

 _I know Dimitri hasn't gotten a lot of newsprint lately, but he will be back with a vengeance in another chapter or two. We've tipped past the halfway point of the story, which means tension only ramps up from here._


	13. Dead Ends

"Hey, Viktoria," I answered brightly, anticipating a lively phone call.

"Rose, I don't know what to do." She sounded frantic.

"Take a few deep breaths, and tell me what's going on," I instructed. I listened to a series of inhalations and exhalations that grew gradually slower and deeper. "Are you hurt?" I asked when she seemed calmer.

"No, it's my charge," she said.

"Lord Drosdov? Were you attacked?"

"No one's hurt, Rose. He threatened me."

"Your charge threatened you," I clarified.

"He cornered me in our compartment and said if I didn't let him..." she choked on the words.

"Your charge wants to turn his female guardian into a personal blood whore," I said coldly, no stranger to Viktoria's current predicament.

"Yes," she sobbed. "If I don't do it, he'll fire me and say it was my fault for neglecting my duty. He says he can make sure I never work again, and I'll end up...like that anyway."

"Where are you right now?"

"On a train, about two hours from St. Petersburg, in a private compartment."

"Where's Lord Drosdov?" I asked.

"In the dining car. He went to get a drink while I 'thought things over.'" Despite her fear, Viktoria's disgust with her charge came through loud and clear. I was glad she recognized that his behavior was despicable.

"Lock the door," I instructed. "Stay in the compartment for the rest of the trip. It's daylight where you are now, so Drosdov won't run into any Strigoi. By the time the train stops in St. Petersburg, I promise you will never have to deal with him again."

"Thanks, Rose," she said. "I trust you."

"Hang tight, Vika. I have to make some calls. Everything's going to be okay."

We hung up, and I scrolled through my contact list. Aha, just the man I wanted. He answered on the second ring.

"Denis, where are you?" I asked.

"St. Petersburg."

"Excellent. I need you to meet a train." I quickly filled Denis in on Viktoria's situation, and he promised to help. Denis guarded a generous and ethical Moroi who would happily step in to guarantee Viktoria's safety.

After texting Viktoria to tell her to expect Denis, I called my father. If anyone could ensure that Lord Drosdov didn't make a fuss about losing his guardian, it would be Abe Mazur. "Use whatever threats you need to, old man. Just make sure he keeps his mouth shut," I told him. Dear old dad was keen to comply. He loved using his criminal resources to intimidate royal Moroi.

Lastly, I called Hans, the man in charge of guardian allocations. "I have a guardian who needs to be reassigned," I told him without preamble.

"You're running low on favors, Hathaway," he warned.

"I know, but I can't let this one go. Take care of her, and I'll back off for a while." I recapped what Viktoria had told me and what I'd already lined up.

"Christ," he said when I finished. "If I'd known the girl's situation, you wouldn't have had to bargain for my help."

"Viktoria should be ready to ready to move in two or three hours. Please, put her with someone who won't take advantage?"

"I'll do my best." He sighed. "How many times do you think something like this happens and we don't hear about it?"

The same thought crossed my mind every time I laid eyes on a female novice at St. Vladimir's. "I don't know, Hans. I really don't know."

* * *

A few days later, I opened a reassuring email from Hans.

 _Rose-_

 _I found a promising position for the friend you called me about. If everything pans out, it will be safe and hugely rewarding._

 _Also, Vasilisa Dragomir and Adrian Ivashkov are due to return next week from their visit to St. Vladimir's Academy. I've arranged for you to escort them back to Court._

We didn't use names when talking about my interventions, but I knew he meant that Viktoria was going to be okay. As for the second half of his message, I wondered what was so important that Hans needed to speak to me in person.

I found out when I stepped off the plane at Court the following week. Lissa's parents were waiting for us. No surprise there - they always worried when she was away from them - but so was...

"Vika?" I hugged her, pleasantly surprised. "What are you doing in the States?"

Eric Dragomir was the one to answer my question. "Lissa, we'd like to introduce you to your guardian, Viktoria Belikov," he said.

I lost track of the conversation as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. Viktoria had been given my ideal assignment, guarding my only living best friend.

I reminded myself that this was what I wanted for her. Viktoria would be safe. Lissa and her family were kind and respectful. They would show Viktoria how she should expect to be treated by Moroi. Plus, she'd get to go to college with Lissa. There was no other reason for Lissa to have her own guardian. Her parents had been reluctant to let Lissa live away from them back when she suffered from depression and mood swings, but getting a handle on spirit had done wonders for her mental health.

"You'll come too, Rose?" Lissa asked, already dragging Viktoria away.

No matter what the invitation was for, I had to decline. "I can't, Liss. The plane leaves in a few hours, and I still have to check in with Hans." I waved at Viktoria, who looked back at me over her shoulder. "Bye, Vika! It was really nice to see you!"

I marched straight to Hans's office in guardian headquarters. By this time, it was almost as familiar to me as Headmistress Kirova's office at the academy. "What the hell, Hans?" I demanded.

"Please, take a seat." He gestured toward the chair in front of his desk.

I ignored him, planting my hands on my hips. "After three years, Lissa is finally green-lighted to have a guardian, and that guardian isn't me? All I did was piss off the queen by attracting her nephew's unwanted attention. I thought the Guardian Council would be able to see past that."

"I'm sorry -"

"Didn't Lissa's parents request me?" I asked, suddenly horrified by the possibility that they hadn't.

"They did. I told them that I couldn't pull you away from the academy, but Viktoria came with your highest recommendation," he said.

When I heard Vika's name, all the fight went out of me. My infuriating situation wasn't Hans's fault, it was the queen's. Who were we to fight against the queen?

"I get it," I said. "You did your best. The Dragomirs will be good to Viktoria. Thanks."

"Thank _you_ ," said Hans. "For bringing problems like this to my attention. For coordinating reallocation requests so that more guardians get suitable positions. Sometimes I think there must be a better way to run this society than how we currently do things."

"Preaching to the choir," I muttered.

Satisfied that he had headed off an infamous Rose Hathaway fit, Hans moved on to business matters. He briefly reviewed a dozen pending reallocation requests, curious about how many I knew were coming before they made it to his desk. Turns out, I had a hand in all of them.

"That makes every one this year," he commented.

"What can I say?" I smirked. "I know a lot of dissatisfied people."

Our meeting was shorter than I had expected, so I left Hans's office with over an hour to spare before my return flight. Assuming Vika would still be with Lissa, I walked to the Dragomir town house. On the way there, I did my best to gather my thoughts. This allocation saved Vika. Lissa was hardly a risk-taker, and they were both young. Vika could guard Lissa for the rest of her life, like I thought I would once. Now I could look forward to an absurdly long career at St. Vladimir's Academy. Unexpectedly, I found myself sympathizing with Stan Alto. Someday, I'd be defending myself against teenagers who thought _I_ was a joke as a guardian.

When I knocked on the front door, a Moroi maid directed me to Lissa's bedroom. Inside, Viktoria perched on a chair in the corner while Lissa flurried around the room, tossing clothes onto the bed. It looked like she was packing.

"Hey, Liss, what gives? I figured you'd wait until the fall semester to enroll in college," I said.

"I have to get in first," Lissa cried, not even pausing in her attempt to disembowel her closet. "That means campus visits, applications - I'm so far behind!"

I tuned her out as she detailed the steps that would take her from here to a college campus. Lissa was mostly talking to herself anyway, so I didn't feel too bad about ignoring her. My priority was checking in with Vika.

"Hey," I whispered, crouching beside her chair. "How are you?"

"Nervous," Vika said, carefully watching Lissa's frantic movements.

"Lissa and I go way back. I know she can seem...flighty, but underneath it all she has the backbone of a princess. If anyone tries to mess with you, tell Lissa, okay? She won't stand for it."

Vika nodded, looking marginally less tense than before.

"Once she wears herself out, she'll remember you're here," I joked. "She isn't always this self-absorbed."

Lissa proved the truth of my words by collapsing onto the bed. She heaved a sigh of relief, then rolled onto her stomach to face us. "Time to chat, I think. I'd give you a tour, but my legs need a break. You must have lots of questions," she said to Vika. When Lissa turned on the charm, she could draw anyone out of their shell. Within minutes, she had Viktoria eagerly asking about life at Court, Lissa's family, and college. I stayed uncharacteristically silent, but fortunately Lissa didn't notice, or at least she didn't call me out on it.

I quickly silenced the alarm on my phone when it chimed to remind me to meet the plane. "Time to go. Mind if I use your bathroom?" I asked Lissa.

After a pit stop in Lissa's en-suite, I hugged my two friends goodbye and trotted off to the airstrip. Atypically, only guardians were on the flight. I claimed a seat at the back of the plane and settled in for the ride. When no one was looking, I bit off half of the sleeping pill I had stolen from Lissa's medicine cabinet and washed it down with a gulp of water. This trip had been a blow to my ego, and I felt more trapped than ever. All I wanted was a deep, dreamless sleep.

I woke up in the school infirmary. "What the hell?" I sat up in bed, then quickly laid back again, my head spinning.

Dr. Olendski stepped in from the hallway and grabbed my wrist to check my pulse. "You passed out on the plane. One of the lads carried you here."

"I didn't pass out. I took a sleeping pill," I grumbled.

"Do you often resort to medication in order to sleep?" Dr. Olendski asked.

"No. This was the first time. I stole the pill from a friend."

"Why?"

"I just...needed to escape my life for a while," I said. Dr. Olendski waited for me to continue. "Look, I spent my childhood mastering my body and mind, learning to maintain control no matter the situation. I succeeded when nobody thought I would."

Dr. Olendski made a small noise of protest, but didn't interrupt.

"Then what happened? I was treated like a plaything and a puppet, then shunted out here before ever getting the chance to do the job I trained for," I said bitterly.

"It's true that you are very young for an academy post," Dr. Olendski said. "You overlapped with the senior class, for goodness sake. Yet despite your legendary student reputation, you've gotten them to respect you as a guardian. I'd say that's pretty impressive."

Shake it off, I ordered myself. Pity party over.

"Thanks, doc." I glanced at the clock. "Gotta go, my shift starts in twenty minutes. I hope I get to fake a Strigoi attack for the field experience. I'll show these novices what a real guardian can do."


	14. Vodka

"Next time you think about coming all the way here just to insult me, don't. Okay?" I shouted at my mother before storming away from her - and straight back into the guardian lounge.

Every face in the room turned toward me. When I first began to raise my voice, Janine had dragged me out to the glassed-in porch that opened onto the central courtyard. I suspected that the thin door between us and the lounge had done little to muffle our argument as it escalated.

I threw my hands into the air in exasperation. "Leave your questions in the comment box and they'll be addressed at our next meeting," I said sarcastically to the room at large.

No one spoke as I stalked toward the exit. Once outside, I began to run. My feet pounded the gravel walk as I aimed to put as much distance as possible between myself and Janine.

Someone stepped onto the path ahead of me. I leaped aside to avoid them and kept right on running. Whoever it was chased after me. They probably thought I was a novice out after curfew. Not wanting to waste anyone else's time tonight, I stopped running. My pursuer crashed into me, wrapping an arm around my waist to hold me steady as his momentum carried us both forward a few more steps.

"Hey, Dimitri," I said without looking. His heady scent was unmistakable, crisp and spicy and warm.

"Oh, Rose. It's you." He released me and almost shoved me away in his haste to create space between us. "Sorry, I thought you were a novice."

"I've been getting that a lot this evening," I said bitterly, thinking about my fight with Janine.

"What's the rush? Is everything okay?" he asked.

"I'm pissed off, and I want to hit something that won't hit back." I practically growled as a few of my mother's more choice insults arose in my mind. "I swear she only visits to yell at me when I can't hang up on her."

Dimitri hesitated. I probably wasn't making any sense. Just then, I heard footsteps approaching. Short, stubborn footsteps. Janine.

I slammed my body into Dimitri's, sending him stumbling around the corner of the nearest building. He staggered against the wall and I pinned him there, safely out of sight behind a buttress.

"Guardian Hathaway?" a voice called. The footsteps stopped, and I shook my head sharply at Dimitri.

"Yes?" My mother's voice sounded dangerously close by.

I couldn't hear the first speaker's response, but Janine turned and walked back the way she had come. We listened in silence until the sound of her footsteps faded away.

"You know, I've met your mother before," Dimitri murmured. His breath stirred the wispy hair at my temples.

"Then you understand why I need to hit something," I grumbled, letting him stand freely.

Dimitri smiled. "I have a better idea. Come on."

Two hours later, Dimitri and I were halfway through a bottle of Russian vodka. We sat on the floor of his room, bare legs stretched out in front of us. When I pointed my foot, I could just barely poke his ankle with my big toe.

"What are you doing?" he asked, amused.

"You're so tall," I marveled. "Look!" I poked him again.

He poured us another pair of vodka shots. "How many is that?"

"I don't know. I get drunker quicker if I count, so I don't count," I slurred.

Dimitri shook his head at my Rose-logic and tossed back the shot, gesturing for me to do the same. I did and shivered.

"I'll get you a blanket," he offered, crawling over to drag one off the bed.

"What did I do with my pants?" I asked as he tucked the blanket around me.

"You said you were too hot."

"I _am_ hot," I boasted. "Too hot for my own good, maybe. What about you?"

"Am I too hot?" he asked, puzzled.

"I meant, where are your pants?"

"It's my room," he said. "I don't have to wear pants."

I nodded. That was perfectly valid reasoning.

He lowered himself back to the ground beside me. "What did you and your mom argue about?" he asked.

"The usual. Stupid stuff." I drew my knees up under my chin and leaned into him.

"Roza? Tell me?" he asked gently.

"My hair, for one."

"You can't be serious."

"She accused me of following in my father's footsteps, brokering deals and calling in favors to help friends. Never mind that what /I/ did was totally legal."

We took another shot.

"It's always bothered her that I look like his daughter more than hers. I mean, I have her figure, but my features and coloring are all dad. That's what put her onto my hair, I think. She got on my case about cutting it again, said I should keep it short like she does."

"Never cut your hair," Dimitri said. The urgency in his voice surprised me. He turned slightly so that he could look at me. Lifting a section of hair that had fallen forward over my shoulder, he ran it through his fingers. "Your hair is beautiful."

"Thank you, cowboy. You've got some nice long locks yourself." I batted my eyelashes playfully.

He released my hair and settled back against the wall. "Here it comes. You're finally going to proposition me."

I hummed thoughtfully, then shook my head. "Nope."

"Still not drunk enough?" he joked.

"Oh, I'm drunk enough alright. I just decided not to."

He coughed, a low masculine sound deep in his chest that echoed through the spots where our arms were touching. "What made you change your mind?"

"I like you too much. I like your family. Your sisters would hate me if I did that to you."

"Did what?" he asked.

"Used you for sex. As a booty-call, friend with benefits, you know. The way all guys want me. Most guys," I amended quickly, excluding the one next to me. "You're a good man Dimitri. Tasha is lucky to have you, even if she is a lying manipulative bitch."

"Rose!"

I shook my head. "Sonja's words, not mine. Or maybe Karolina's? Yeva said all the bad things about Tasha in Russian, so I couldn't understand. Tell them I'm not like her, okay?"

"They know that, Roza," Dimitri said softly.

"Good." My eyelids started to droop, so I picked up my glass and clinked it against Dimitri's. "Happy birthday to me," I murmured, swallowing my last shot before I closed my eyes.

* * *

I woke up curled against the wall of Dimitri's room. According to the empty bed in front of me, Dimitri was already awake. Maybe he'd gone to take a shower. That was definitely going to be my first stop.

Bright sunshine blinded me when I returned to my room clean and hydrated. I'd never closed the blackout curtains last night and it was early in the vampire morning, well before sunset. Food was always available in the guardian lounge, though, so I trudged down to breakfast.

The room's sole occupant welcomed me cheerfully when I entered. "You are unnaturally chipper this morning," I accused.

"Why, because I'm not hungover?" Dimitri asked.

"No, because you're in a mood. Usually it's just...nothing." I gestured vaguely at his face.

After we had eaten, I announced my intention to go for a run. "I need to sweat out the rest of the alcohol so I don't inebriate innocent schoolchildren with my fumes."

"I'll join you," he said. Dimitri and I walked in companionable silence down to the track.

"Race to twenty?" I offered when we got there. He nodded. "Go!"

I set a pace that I knew I could maintain for four miles, planning to kick it up for the last few laps. We finished neck and neck. "Don't stop." I steered him toward guardian housing at a jog. "Mission accomplished: we both reek. Time to hit the showers."

"Wait." Dimitri held out a hand to slow me down. "Meet me in front of the administration building in half an hour. I have a surprise for you."

"I hate surprises," I grumbled.

He smiled. "You'll like this one."


	15. Surprises

Exactly half an hour later, a black SUV pulled up in front of the administration building. The heavily tinted front windows slid down to reveal Dimitri behind the wheel.

"Get in," he called.

I obeyed and climbed into the passenger seat. "Where are we going?"

"Missoula." He closed the windows and put the car in drive.

"Missoula?" I repeated, buckling my seat belt. "That's your big surprise?"

He smiled mysteriously. "You'll see when we get there."

His timing confused me, because usually we ventured into town on a human schedule, and sunset was fast approaching. No matter how much I wheedled and cajoled, I couldn't get an explanation.

"If I tell you where we're going, that will spoil the surprise," he said.

"Fine." I folded my arms and sank sullenly into my seat. For a few minutes, I stared out at the trees and listened halfheartedly to a country song on the radio. Then I realized how rude it was to sulk when Dimitri was, I assumed, going out of his way to do something nice for me.

"Thanks for...whatever this is," I said, waving my arms in an encompassing gesture.

Dimitri glanced sideways at me. "I thought you hated surprises."

"Nah. I trust you," I said.

Dimitri cleared his throat and flipped the radio to a different station. I recognized the chorus of a song by Prince.

I groaned. "I take that back. I don't trust you to pick a decent radio station."

I took control of the music, scanning for something worth listening to. Static...talk show...rap. I lingered on the rap station, debating leaving the dial there to make Dimitri uncomfortable. Nah, it wasn't worth punishing myself. I hit the scan button again, and it cycled back to the country station.

"Stupid middle of nowhere Montana," I grumbled, punching the off switch. "You'll have to entertain me instead," I told Dimitri. "It will be good for you to practice your witty banter, and I'm an excellent partner."

"Conversation partner," he clarified unnecessarily.

"I'm certainly not a good tennis partner," I joked. "Lissa's mom tried to teach me to play, and I was horrible."

Dimitri laughed. "I imagine softball and kickball were more your style. Anything that let you hit as hard as possible."

We spent the rest of the ride talking about failed hobbies and sharing random stories from when we were growing up.

"At one point, I got really into fishing," Dimitri said. "The lake was a good three-mile walk from our house, but I still went every day the summer that I was ten. Mama eventually made me stop. She said they were all tired of eating fish."

I laughed. "Of course you would have to give up a hobby because you were _too_ good at it. I bet you were good at everything."

"Not everything," Dimitri said. "Never in my life have I won a game of marbles, and I played hundreds."

"Oh, man, I forgot about that game! I was amazing at it. Mason and I used to play until we won everybody else's marbles, then sell them back for twice the retail price."

"Rose Hathaway, entrepreneur."

"Once we learned to play poker, those royals could kiss their allowance money goodbye," I gloated.

"Remind me never to play cards with you," Dimitri commented.

"Don't worry, I'm on a lifetime ban at the academy after an unfortunate strip poker incident involving Stan Alto."

Dimitri grimaced. "I could have done without that mental image."

"Yeah. It was worse in person." After a pause, I continued. "You know, Alberta might be willing to relax the ban if I played against you."

"Not a chance, Rose."

* * *

I smelled our destination before I saw it. "Pizza," I said reverently. As soon as Dimitri parked, I jumped out of the car and ran around to open his door.

"I'm supposed to do that for you," Dimitri joked, amused by my eagerness.

"This isn't a date, cowboy." I grabbed his hand and towed him along the sidewalk behind me, following my nose.

The hostess at the pizza place seated us without a second glance. It might have been breakfast time to us, but for humans this was just a slightly late dinner. Merely opening the menu had me salivating.

"I figure we can polish off three pies between the two of us," I told Dimitri. "I want one pepperoni, and one with mashed potatoes and bacon. You can pick the third. I'll eat anything except pineapple."

I looked around at the other diners while Dimitri studied the menu. A group of high school kids in theater costumes dominated the far corner. Near the kitchen sat a young couple that, judging by the bags under their eyes, had hired a babysitter for the first time in months. At the salad bar, an old man served himself painfully slowly. Given the life expectancy for guardians, my body would never have a chance to betray me like that.

The arrival of the waiter brought my attention back to our table. Dimitri put in the order for our pizzas and a beer, which struck me as odd. After all, for us this was basically breakfast. I asked for an iced tea.

"Maybe you'd like to order a beer?" Dimitri suggested.

"I don't feel much like drinking after last night," I said.

"One beer," Dimitri urged. "My treat."

I shrugged. "All right. Bring me the mildest beer you've got on tap," I told the waiter.

"I'm gonna need to see some ID," he said dully. I gave him my card. The waiter barely glanced at it before handing it back. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

I slid my ID back into my wallet and suddenly realized what Dimitri was up to. "Oh my gosh!" I kicked him lightly under the table. "You took me out for a drink on my twenty-first birthday!"

He smiled. "Normally I wouldn't eat beer and pizza for breakfast."

"Thank you, Dimitri. This is really sweet."

The waiter came back quickly with our drinks and told us our pizzas would be out in half an hour. I worried that we had exhausted Dimitri's conversational comfort zone on the drive here, but it turned out he had a lot to say about food. Cooking for himself was one of the main things he missed while working at the academy.

"I wouldn't survive without a cafeteria," I admitted. "Or a personal chef. I could go for that."

Dimitri chuckled. "You won't catch me volunteering for that job. I've seen how much you can eat."

As I predicted, we had no trouble finishing one and a half pizzas each. The waiter looked stunned when he handed over our check. Dimitri grabbed the slip of paper before I could react.

"My treat," he insisted. "For your birthday."

He paid at the front, and we decided to take a walk before heading back to the car. Without much other pedestrian activity to guide us, we simply picked the direction opposite of where we parked the car.

"That was the best birthday meal I've ever had," I said, leaning lightly on his arm. "Let's do something else before we head back. Arcade? Bowling?"

"I'm not sure anyplace else will be open this late," he said. It was the middle of the human night by now, so the roads were empty except for us. A darting movement across the street caught my eye.

I jerked my thumb toward the lurking form of a Strigoi. "Hey, Dimitri, is he part of the surprise?"

Dimitri cursed under his breath.

"I'll take that as a no." I raised my voice so that the Strigoi would overhear. "We should go back. Lord Zeklos will be impatient to get moving." I had picked a royal name at random to tempt the Strigoi, but Dimitri flinched at my choice. "Shit, I'm sorry," I muttered. "I was thinking of a jerk I went to high school with, not Ivan."

"It's fine," Dimitri said sharply.

The Strigoi followed us back to the lot where we had parked the car. It was behind a strip mall, sheltered from the eyes of any humans who might happen to drive by. When the Strigoi got closer, I could see that he was overweight and totally out of shape. Why even bother turning him?

I found out when he charged at me like a linebacker. Dimitri and I had separated when we reached the car, and the Strigoi uncharacteristically targeted the smaller threat first. The two of us crashed into the SUV, hard. His attack lacked technique, however, and I used our momentum to drive my stake into his heart. The Strigoi crumpled, and I slid down to sit on the front bumper.

"Rose!" Dimitri shouted. Pulling me to my feet, his hands skated over my body, checking for damage. I bit my lip to keep from shuddering, not because I was injured but because his touch was so provocative.

I shrugged him off. "I'm fine, Dimitri, though I can't say the same for the car." The hood was pretty well smashed in, and one of the headlights was broken. "You call that," I gestured at the fat Strigoi, "in to the Alchemists, and I'll update Alberta."

We stood back to back under the streetlight, watching the perimeter while we made our phone calls. Our boss answered the phone distractedly.

"Hey, Alberta," I said in an innocent tone that had never really fooled her.

"What have you done now?" she asked, giving me her full attention.

"Smashed a Strigoi into your SUV," I said sheepishly.

"Most people would do it the other way around," she commented. "Well, I'm not sending another pair of guardians out to get you right now. Take the car to the first repair shop that opens in the human morning. You can spend the night in a hotel."

"Got it."

"Oh, and Rose? One hotel room. You're both adults, and I don't have the budget to separate you and fix the car," she said.

I chuckled to myself as I hung up with Alberta. Dimitri wrapped up with the Alchemists shortly afterward.

"They don't have anyone in the immediate vicinity," he said. "Since it's only one body, we have to take care of it ourselves." We both glanced around aimlessly, looking for a spot that would be hidden from view yet exposed to sunlight in the morning.

"We could use that roof." I pointed at the one-story dry cleaner we had parked behind.

"How do we get a two-hundred-pound Strigoi up there?" Dimitri asked.

"There's an emergency tow rope in the trunk. We lasso him, you boost me up, then I haul while you lift," I outlined. The plan worked better than I expected, and twenty minutes later I hopped to the ground, slightly smudged but otherwise no worse for wear.

"What now?" I asked.

"Now we divide and conquer," Dimitri said. "I'll get the car towed to a repair shop. You find someplace for us to wait it out."

"Alberta said we could stay at a hotel." I didn't mention her one-room policy. It would be more fun to spring it on him.

"Fine. Text me the address and I'll meet you there."

Fortunately, there was a small motel only half a mile away. I checked in and texted Dimitri the room number. _There's a key for you at the front desk,_ I wrote.

Our room had a queen sized bed, a desk, and an armchair. I giggled. Dimitri's reaction to our temporary shared quarters would be priceless - if I could manage to get a reaction. Who was I kidding? Rose Hathaway always got a reaction. I sprawled on the bed and waited for Dimitri's dramatic entrance.


	16. Secrets

A series of electronic beeps warned me that Dimitri was about to enter our hotel room. I half expected him to freeze in the doorway when he saw me lounging on the solitary queen sized bed. Instead, he managed to close the door behind him before backing up to press against it.

"Only one room?" Dimitri asked, peering around as if I had somehow hidden an adjoining door.

I shrugged. "Alberta's orders."

"Did she also say we had to share one bed?" he asked.

"No. I didn't specify when I booked the room. It's not like we're going to be sleeping, anyway," I said glibly.

"What do you mean?" Dimitri asked, warily eyeing the tight camisole visible underneath my unbuttoned shirt.

"Cowboy, you should see the look on your face. I'm just messing with you," I teased, buttoning back up. "We're on a vampire schedule, remember? My body expects to be awake and working for the next ten hours. Speaking of which, I need to make a phone call that you won't want to overhear." He raised an eyebrow, and I added, "It's about potentially treasonous activity."

" _Potentially_ treasonous?" he asked.

"I don't know for sure. That's one of the things I need to clear up during the call."

Dimitri glowered, but sensibly chose not to ask more questions. He dug through his bag and pulled out a battered novel before he stalked out the door. I moved to the armchair in the corner of the room. This wasn't going to be the kind of conversation I could have lying down.

I felt pretty sure my idea wasn't illegal. Highly controversial, yes, and some people would no doubt call it unethical, but not illegal. I called the one man I could trust to tell the truth without judging me: my father. Abe Mazur was an expert on human and Moroi law. He had to be, to disobey it so often without getting punished.

The trick would be to get the information I needed without letting Abe know what I had in mind. Not that he would try to stop me. On the contrary, he'd be all too eager to help. If word got out that the infamous Abe Mazur was backing my little venture, people would drop out before we even got started.

I shook out my limbs as if preparing for a fight, then pressed the call button. "Hey, old man. I need the advice of a criminal mastermind. Know where I can find one?" I teased when he answered.

"I break the law far less than you imagine, little girl," he retorted. "Most of the time, I simply slither around the edges."

"That's why I came to you. I need to find the very edge of a particular set of laws."

"Ah, my lovely daughter has finally graduated to rebelling against judicial authority. Which legislation has captured your interest?" Abe asked.

"Dhampir labor contract laws," I said.

Abe snorted. "How disappointing. I thought you were finally up to something interesting."

"Don't bother pretending for my sake, old man. Let me know how you really feel," I said sarcastically.

"Wait - you're not finally considering coming to work for your old man?" he asked hopefully.

Sweet. He had given me the perfect opening. "Maybe," I drawled, stringing him along. "What's the difference, legally speaking, between working for you and my job now?"

Abe dove right in. "For one thing, you'd only have one boss: me. Each of my employees has a customized contract which I personally re-negotiate every few years. The re-up period is defined in the contract. Of course, I reserve the right to fire any of my employees at any time."

"So is it easier or harder for one of your guys to get fired than it is for someone like Mom or me?" I asked.

"Both, depending."

I huffed in exasperation. "I'm not a lawyer, old man. Give me a straight answer."

"When I fire one of my guys - or gals," he amended. "I do have women working for me, you know. Anyway, when I fire one of my guardians, they're immediately unemployed. No fallback, if you will. Now, if Lord Szelsky fires your mother, or if the academy fires you, you're still employed by the Guardian Council. They'll find you a new charge, and, as long as you work at Court or a similar compound, they'll pay you in the meantime. Job security is the reason most guardians decide to go the Promised route."

"Yeah, that and not wanting to devote all our resources to the highest bidder," I said wryly.

"You know very well that the way guardians are allocated to royals is just a different kind of 'highest bidder' situation. Unlike private employment, it doesn't benefit the guardians at all," Abe replied.

"True," I conceded. "So you have the final say in firing your staff, the Council has the final say in firing promised guardians, and our individual charges are technically just go-betweens with no real authority." I summed up.

"Exactly. That's why I hire outside the system."

"Everyone knows how much you like to have the last word, old man," I teased.

"I do indeed, little girl. On that note, I need to run. Did you get the information you needed?"

"Yep. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Let me know if I should have my lawyers start writing your employment contract." He hung up before I could respond.

"Don't get started on the paperwork yet, old man," I grumbled at the disconnected phone in my hand. "This little girl still has a few tricks up her sleeve."

Today's conversation wasn't the first - or even the fifth - time Abe had encouragaed me to work for him. The idea of going private continued to rub me the wrong way. For one thing, it was impossible to go back. Any promised guardian who took a job outside the purview of the Guardian Council was removed from future consideration. It also felt like a lazy way out of my current problems. Sure, I was getting screwed by the system, but I wasn't the only one. Running away from a problem didn't solve it, just shoved it onto someone else's shoulders.

I glanced at the clock. Talking with my dad hadn't taken very long, so I probably still had some time before Dimitri came back. I decided to risk a call to Hans.

"Croft," he answered in his usual gruff tone.

"It's Rose," I said.

"You're earlier than you said you'd be," he returned, his voice much lower.

"Unexpected circumstances. Can you talk now?"

"Yes." I heard him get up and close the door. "What did your contact say?"

"Private guardians won't go for it, but then, we don't need them. If any of the promised guardians want reassurance, we can tell them you're behind it and that means their jobs are safe."

"Then that's what we'll do," he said.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "It's a big risk, attaching your name to a scheme like this."

"It would be a bigger risk to spread the news that the entire Guardian Council is in favor of this kind of action," he said. "In any case, I'd still have to persuade the heavy hitters personally."

"At least let's limit how many we clue in ahead of time. Everyone under thirty will jump on board as soon as they realize we're serious, with or without prior warning," I said.

"Even folks like your friend Belikov?" Hans asked.

I paused thoughtfully. "Yes, as long as we get the timing right."

"Staff at the academies will be in a bit of a bind, though," Hans said, thinking out loud.

"Not if we wait until summer starts," I said quickly. "Only dhampir students stay on campus over the break."

Hans grunted. "I'm trusting you on this one, Hathaway."

"I know," I said. A simple word like "trust" barely captured the immense confidence Hans was placing in me. Before I could figure out a more meaningful reply than "thank you", the door opened and Dimitri walked back in.

"What was that?" Hans asked sharply.

"Company," I replied. "I'll go over the numbers on my end and check back in with you soon. Bye."

My eyes never left Dimitri as he carefully stowed his novel and took a seat on the bed facing me. When he looked at me, his expression was that uncanny combination of stony and soft that he pulled off so well. "What are you up to?" he asked levelly.

"Turns out, nothing treasonous or even illegal," I said brightly.

"I need a better explanation, Rose."

I eyed him cagily. Half-truths, I decided, would be safest for both of us. "How many of your classmates are still alive?" I asked.

My question startled him, but Dimitri humored me with an answer. "I don't know. Maybe a fifth."

"When we kick off the senior field experience, we tell the novices that one in three guardians die during their first year on the job. My friend Mason was that one," I told Dimitri. "We grew up together, lost our virginity together, and graduated top of our class together. He got what we thought was an exciting placement, and I felt jealous because he was bound to see more action. Three months later, I cried at his funeral."

"Oh, Roza," Dimitri said softly. I shook my head. I didn't have tears left for Mason or any of the others.

"Half of my graduating class is dead now. I know all the stories." I opened a file on my phone where I stored the morbid statistics. "Sixty-eight of them died protecting fire users. Fire users! Moroi who didn't raise a hand against the Strigoi while dhampirs died in front of them."

"What does this have to do with -"

"The Moroi need an incentive to fight as equal partners with dhampirs, instead of seeing us as weapons or expendable foot soldiers. You and Tasha will be a perfect example of what we're talking about."

"We?" Dimitri asked. Damn. I thought I could distract him by mentioning Tasha.

"I can't tell you," I said, shaking my head.

He sighed. "If you need my help, I'm here for you. Not just as Tasha's guardian, but your friend."


	17. Tension

Abe should have warned me how stressful it was to keep secrets. Knowing dirt on other people was fun, especially when I could use it for blackmail, but hiding my own plans made me edgy. I let out my irritation at the gym, and it was starting to drive away sparring partners. After a month of over-zealous strikes, rumor spread that fighting Rose Hathaway was like asking for an injury. For the first time since my years as a novice, I got stuck beating up only the punching bag.

 _Thwack._ Stupid leather sack didn't stand a chance against my right hook. _Thud thud._ The tape on my knuckles was starting to slip. How long had I been at this?

"I never thought I'd see the day when Rose Hathaway would willingly give up sleep," Dimitri said. Damn sneaky Russian giant. I didn't even hear him coming.

"Can't sleep," I grunted. I kicked the bag so hard the stitches whined.

"I hear you've also been lashing out. Is it stress related?" he asked.

"Academy guardians are a bunch of wimps. It's not like I sent anyone to the infirmary," I complained. Actually, Emil probably should have gotten his wrist checked after I tossed him last week, but he was a big believer in the "walk it off" pain theory.

"Does this...mood have anything to do with the private phone call you made in that hotel room after your birthday dinner?"

"No." I slammed the punching bag again. "This _mood_ is just PMS."

"Rose -"

I whirled on him. "Can it, Dimitri. Either spar with me, or get out."

He hesitated.

"Oh, that's right." I put my hands on my hips. "You've been too chicken to fight me ever since I learned Russian."

"You don't really speak Russian."

"True, but I know the dirty words. That's all I need to have fun." I winked at him. Flirting always perked me up.

It had the opposite effect on Dimitri. "I don't -" He ran his hands through his hair. "Please, Rose. I want to help you."

"Like I said, I can't explain what's going on with me right now." I took a step closer and firmly held his gaze. "I've got this, Dimitri. Trust me." He looked at me searchingly. If only he would just say what he was looking for...but I was the one who spoke my mind, not Dimitri.

"I told her no," he said abruptly. "Tasha. I told her no."

"Really? Why?" I kicked myself for sounding so breathlessly excited. He could have any number of reasons for telling me about Tasha. The last time we talked about their relationship, it hadn't worked out so well for me.

"She wanted to try phone sex -"

"What?!" I exclaimed. Did Dimitri Belikov really just say _phone sex?_ I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle the rest of this conversation.

"I couldn't do it," he continued. "I just kept thinking..." He trailed off, staring at a point over my left shoulder. Thinking about what? Me? _You wish, Rose._

"Don't take it personally, cowboy," I said, unsure whether I was teasing or offering real reassurance. "It's tough to start a relationship long-distance, especially if it's been a while since you've done the deed in person."

"I never slept with Tasha," he said quickly. "And we're not in a relationship. I won't be her guardian or...anything else."

My knee-jerk reaction was to grin like a fool because Dimitri was still available. I quickly plastered on a nonchalant expression. "Your family must be pleased. They really seemed to hate her."

"I haven't told them yet."

"Make sure Vika knows, at least, in case she runs into Tasha at Court."

"What would my little sister be doing at Court?" Dimitri asked, puzzled.

"She didn't -? Ugh, you Belikovs need to work on intra-family communication. I talk to your sisters more than you do." I recapped Viktoria's frantic phone call and my part in her extraction. "She's been Lissa's guardian for almost two months now. As far as I know Lissa is still dating Christian, so Vika is bound to run into Tasha at some point."

"Why didn't she call me when she was in trouble?" Dimitri asked. Hurt and outrage mingled in his tone.

"Because you would have caught the first plane to Russia and beat that Moroi's ass," I said. "As much as I admire a man who jumps into action, that action would have cost you your job."

"But then, why call you?"

"I guess Vika doesn't care if I lose my job," I joked.

"Seriously, Rose. Considering Vika's age and inexperience, being assigned to guard Vasilisa Dragomir is almost too good to be true. How did you manage it?"

"I just called in a few favors," I said, trying to downplay the issue.

Dimitri's eyes widened in understanding. "This is what you were talking about, that night when you argued with your mother. When you said you were helping friends, you meant Vika."

"Among others." I didn't want Dimitri to feel like his sister had been the cause of our fight. "Janine can always find something I've done wrong."

"What you did for my sister wasn't wrong," he said. He reached out and tenderly tucked a loose tendril of hair behind my ear. My breath caught as I remembered the last time Dimitri had touched my hair. That same night, Dimitri had told me my hair was beautiful.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the words, but stress had worn away my already tenuous self control. "Do you still think I'm pretty?" I blurted, ducking my head in embarrassment. I shied away from calling myself beautiful.

Dimitri lifted my chin with one long finger. His gaze softened. "You're more than pretty, Roza. You're beautiful and fierce and strong."

 _So are you,_ I thought. Dimitri and I were so similar. We each had more molnija than most guardians our age. We both had lost a close friend to the Strigoi. The job had brought us pain, but I knew that, like me, Dimitri would never choose another life.

My eyes locked onto his lips, which parted ever so slightly. I willed them to move closer and they did, though ever so slowly. Down...down...almost there...

"Hathaway!" Yuri shouted from the far end of the gym.

I scowled and turned to face him. Dimitri stepped back as if scalded. We had been this close to...well, something, and it would have been hella incredible, but then Yuri had to ruin it.

"Alberta has every on-duty guardian on the lookout for you," he said, jogging over to join us. "I don't know what you did this time, but she wants you in her office pronto."

* * *

"I just received a very interesting phone call from Hans Croft," Alberta said. "At least now I know why you suddenly started assaulting your coworkers during training sessions."

"I didn't...I just got a little carried away," I muttered. "Nobody complained, did they?"

"No. Everyone kept quiet because they like you, and believe it or not they respect you. We all figured you were working through some personal issues. I didn't realize what a huge burden you had taken on."

"How much did Hans tell you?"

"Enough to make sure I'd be prepared."

I nodded. "Good."

"How long -"

I cut her off. "I'm sorry, Alberta, but Hans told you as much as we can safely share right now. You know I trust you, but the secrecy is for your good as much as mine."

"I understand." She shuffled a few papers on her desk. "I'll make sure you have a spot on the first plane to Court after graduation."

"Thanks." I had a feeling I was dismissed, so I stood to leave.

"Rose? What will you do if it backfires?" she asked.

I paused with my hand on the doorknob. As much as I hated to admit it, the plan Hans and I had put together had a pretty high chance of failing. I'd mulled over the very same question most nights as I was falling asleep. I still didn't have an answer.

I shrugged, covering my uncertainty with bravado. "I'll figure something out."

As usual, Alberta saw right through me. "You're always welcome to come back here," she offered.

"Thanks," I said grimly, "but this time it won't be up to you."

* * *

 _A/N: Cryptic? Yes. Short? Yes, but did you really want to read more of me struggling not to give too much away? Now I understand why R. Mead kept Rose in the dark about the jailbreak plot in LS. It's much harder to surprise the reader when the narrator is the mastermind._


	18. Love

"Rose?" Jill asked tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"What's it like to fall in love?"

The two of us sat sideways facing each other on a couch in one of the crummier dorm lounges. Dimitri, as usual, had taken an unobtrusive post in the corner behind Jill.

"No idea, kiddo. You'd better ask your mom," I said.

"Oh. I just thought..." She frowned. "You've had sex, right?"

I chuckled. "Love and sex are two entirely different things."

Jill sighed. "Graduation is less than a month away, and I'm still a virgin."

"I was in the same boat," I said. "I...fixed the situation with one of my best friends." Mason had crushed on me since we were kids, and I finally gave in under the pressure of our approaching graduation. He was devoted enough to do his research, so it was actually a pretty good first time for both of us. We slept together a handful of times before graduation, and later his death, separated us.

"Do you regret it?" she asked, sensing the bitterness in my tone.

"No, but only because I got lucky. He died before I could break his heart. If he had lived, it would have ruined our friendship," I said flatly.

"Oh," Jill said in a small voice.

"Look, it isn't worth sleeping with someone just because you think it's a milestone you're supposed to hit by a certain age. From what I've heard, sex is way better when you're in love."

"Then you've never..." she asked.

"Been in love?" My gaze flicked to Dimitri before I could stop it. "Nope."

Jill hummed thoughtfully to herself, and I felt tremendously unhelpful.

"If it's really sex you're curious about, you can try touching yourself," I offered.

Jill reddened. "I, uh," she stammered.

"Guardians do it all the time. Sometimes it's the only relief we can get," I said. "In your case, it'll help you figure out what you like so you can have more fun with a partner. When the time is right, of course."

Jill whispered something under her breath.

"I didn't catch that," I said, smiling slightly at her embarrassment.

"How will I know what he likes?" she repeated.

"Well, I can't tell you exactly what to do, because different men go for different things." I paused thoughtfully. "There are ways to tell in the moment, though, whether a guy likes whatever you're doing. Besides constantly asking, which is a total buzzkill."

Jill nodded, listening attentively.

"His breathing will get heavier and a bit uneven. You'll hear tortured little noises that he may not even realize he's making. He'll work harder to control his muscles - balling his fists, clenching his jaw. Guys try to hold back, like it's some macho endurance contest," I joked.

Jill tried a smile that came out as more of a grimace.

"Most of all, he'll keep touching you," I continued. "He'll encourage you to touch him. If it's right, you'll want to."

I had been absentmindedly staring at Dimitri while I ran through my checklist of male arousal. Suddenly, I noticed the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the harsh set of his jaw, and the way he had stuffed his hands into his pockets. Oops. I'd inadverdently created a time bomb. Rather than disarm it, I lit the fuse. "Help me out here, cowboy. Is there anything I'm missing?" I called over to him.

Jill squealed and turned bright red once again. "Ohmigosh, I totally forgot he was here!" She resolutely looked away from Dimitri as she sprinted out of the room.

Dimitri and I stayed frozen in our spots, me reclining on the couch and him standing at attention. The tension in the air was as palpable as humidity or perfume. I felt that if either of us moved, something would break. What did I want to happen next?

I closed my eyes and took a deep, centering breath. When I opened them, Dimitri was gone. He had done his job and run after Jill.

Good. If I loved him, it would hurt even more when he left. Whether he went with Tasha or Jill or someone else entirely, he was going to leave the academy after graduation. I'd be stuck here or worse.

* * *

This year's graduation felt far more meaningful than my own. At the time, I'd been self-centered and eager to move on to an exciting life as a fully-fledged guardian. I didn't care about anybody except myself and my closest friends.

These novices, though, had grown up in front of my eyes. Technically I wasn't their instructor, but I had tested them as a fake Strigoi during their field experience and senior trials. I had watched from the sidelines of their combat classes as they improved. Plenty of novices had even sparred with me one-on-one and asked for pointers. I whooped and hollered as each new guardian crossed the stage.

I cheered when Jill's name was called as well. Nearby Moroi looked at me askance for failing to remain silent and statuesque. I didn't care. Pretty soon, I'd be earning their disapproval for much more than celebrating at a high school graduation.

The following morning, I joined Jill and a plane full of other new graduates on a jet bound for the Moroi Court. I was there ostensibly so that Jill, Dimitri, and I could submit our reallocation requests together. Neither of them knew that I had other plans.

The senior guardians clustered at the front of the plane while the young Moroi and former novices mingled in the back. For many of them, this was their last chance to spend time with friends they had known since childhood. I was too wrapped up in my own concerns to feel sorry for them. As much as I wanted what was coming when I stepped off the plane at Court, I also dreaded it. Dimitri, seated next to me on the aisle, sensed my mood and let me have my privacy during the flight.

When we landed, my gentle hand on his arm signaled Dimitri to hang back. We waited in our seats while the plane emptied, giving Jill an encouraging smile as she walked past. Once everyone else was gone, Dimitri stood in the aisle and turned to examine my face.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You haven't said a word in hours."

I took a deep breath and stood as well. This was my last chance to do the one little thing I wanted before my world turned on its head. There, in the privacy of the empty plane, I kissed him. The kiss took him by surprise, that's for sure. I nearly pulled away, but then he was kissing me back, his hand knotted in my hair.

The kiss was so much better and so much worse than I had imagined. Better, because kissing Dimitri was heaven. Worse, because now I knew exactly what I'd be missing out on when he was gone. I wanted to live for as long as possible in this moment, where my world was defined by the scent of his aftershave in every breath I took, the taste of his lips, and the feel of his body against mine.

"Rose?" Jill's frightened voice echoed up the gangway, breaking us apart. "There are some people here to see you."


	19. Defenseless

"You're sure that there's been no advance warning?" I confirmed.

"None. Everyone we trusted has kept the secret," Hans assured me. We had been sequestered in his office at guardian headquarters all day along with two of the queen's guardians, the ones who had escorted me from the airstrip.

"By the way, you nearly gave me a heart attack sending these two." I indicated our companions, Kale and Sabrina. "I had no idea you looped in the royal guard."

"Had to," Hans said. "We needed someone who was guaranteed to be at the Council session tomorrow."

"Turns out, we have three someones," Sabrina added. She and Kale grinned broadly at me.

I grinned back. "It'll be good to have a friendly face."

"You have more friends here than you realize," said Kale.

"Let's go over the numbers again," Hans said.

"We've got between forty and sixty percent of U.S. guardians locked down, including eight of the top ten families," Kale said.

"The last two are en route as we speak. They're committed to join us as soon as their charges are safely within the wards," added Sabrina. It struck me how often we referred to guardians according to the Moroi they protected, rather than by their own names.

"What about Europe?" I asked.

"It's hard to say for sure, but participation will probably be lower. Both guardians and Moroi tend to be more traditional in the old countries," Sabrina said.

"On the bright side, the population is a lot smaller," Hans said. "We'll still end up with a majority overall."

"Plus, that number will jump once we get the younger guardians on board. How are we getting the word out?" I asked.

"Sabrina, Kale, and -"

"Thompson," Sabrina supplied.

"The three of them will start streaming video as soon as you stand up to talk," Hans explained. "We'll broadcast that feed throughout Court and post it online. Between word of mouth and the phone tree, everyone will see your speech within hours."

I fidgeted, boucing on the balls of my feet as I wracked my brain for any more last-minute concerns.

"Look," Kale pointed at the live security feed on Hans's desk monitor. It showed Dimitri standing in the main lobby, and he was clearly arguing with the receptionist. "Your boyfriend is back. That's, what, three times already?"

Dimitri hadn't protested when the royal guard whisked me away from the airstrip. It was still his duty to watch over Jill, after all. However, once he'd seen her settled in guest housing, he must have immediately sought me out at guardian headquarters. I assumed he had been told I was in a meeting. It looked like that excuse wouldn't put him off again.

"Yes, and for the third time, he's not my boyfriend." I sighed and rested my head in my hands. "Will somebody please just tell him that I don't want to see him?"

"Are you sure?" Sabrina asked. "The extra moral support couldn't hurt."

I shook my head. "As soon as he found out...He'd never let me walk in there alone."

"You won't be alone," Hans reminded me.

"Yeah, but what you guys are doing, watching from the wings, you can still back out if everything goes to shit," I said. "Dimitri would be right there holding my hand."

Kale snorted. "And you say he's not your boyfriend."

* * *

"Last on the agenda: Guardian Rose Hathaway," the clerk announced. "Guardian Hathaway, you have the floor."

Because I wasn't officially representing the guardian population at this meeting, I thought it best not to wear my uniform. Instead, I had on a knee-length brown skirt, gray pumps, and a pale pink collared blouse. Not the most flattering outfit, but wardrobe hadn't been high on my list of concerns. I wiped sweaty palms on my skirt before I stood to face the Moroi Royal Council.

"Good afternoon, Queen Tatiana, members of the council." I nodded in their respective directions. "I am here representing a...faction of dissatisfied guardians."

Several of the council members groaned and rolled their eyes. Tatiana silenced them with a stern look.

"Our two races, dhampir and Moroi, have a long history of living side by side. However, lately the balance has shifted toward the view that guardians are second-class citizens," I continued.

"You are our employees," one council member scoffed.

"But you treat us like servants," I shot back, already close to losing my temper. A quick glance at Sabrina calmed me down. "There was a time when Moroi and dhampirs fought side by side against the Strigoi. We were partners, equals. It's time for you to learn to fight again."

"That's already happening," said Marcus Lazar. "Or haven't you been at Court long enough to hear the Ozera woman pushing her defensive magic program?" The Ozera council member looked insulted by this demeaning reference to Tasha.

"That program is a start, but it has to be mandatory," I said.

"Mandatory?" The room erupted in protests. Royals leaped to their feet, and I saw Kale lift his phone overhead to keep the video frame unobstructed. Tatiana banged a gavel on the arm of her throne, calling for order.

When the room quieted down, I shrugged. Time to really blow their minds. "Whether it's manadatory or not is up to you. Combat training would be best for your survival, though, since you won't be dictating where we live anymore."

"I suppose you want to travel around the world, bask in the sun, and do it all on our payroll," the Badica council member sneered.

"Not exactly. We're willing to negotiate," I said.

"This is absolute nonsense," the Tarus council member said.

"What if we refuse?" asked Ava Drosdov.

I turned to look straight at Queen Tatiana. "Then we go on strike. Three weeks without guardians should convince you to hear us out."

Absolute silence fell over the room. For the space of several heartbeats, no one moved. The knot of tension in my stomach eased. My biggest fear in delivering this ultimatum was that they would see it as a joke. No one seemed inclinced to laugh.

Nathan Ivashkov recovered first. "You're barely out of the academy. No respectable guardian would follow you."

"True," I said, my tone maddeningly casual. "But you see, I'm not the ringleader. I'm only the mouthpiece."

"Why you?" Nathan asked.

I grinned, baring my teeth in a way that was menacing even without fangs. "Because I have nothing to lose."

Nathan paled. He knew I had been banished from Court, and therefore most of the worthwhile assignments, because of his son.

"You have until six o'clock to accept our terms. If you refuse..." I smirked. "Well, at least you have the wards."

"But...Moroi come first," Nathan said, as if stating an unshakable argument.

"Not anymore," I said. Cheers erupted outside the council chamber. I grinned. It sounded like Kale's live feed had a pretty large audience.

* * *

The next few hours passed in a blur. My phone exploded with messages after the council meeting, but I holed up in a tiny disused private chapel, ignoring every message except one.

Abe had managed to leave me a voicemail before I even made it out of the council chamber. Even when it happened on the other side of the world, my old man was the first to hear big news. "First, I'm impressed you made it this far without me finding out what you were up to. Second, there's no way the council will go down without a fight. I've arranged a surprise treat for you. Be at the front gate at 6am sharp."

Curiousity, combined with boredom, drew me out of my hideout. I pushed my stealth training to the limit to reach Court's main entrace undetected. When I got there, I realized I shouldn't have bothered. Abe's gift had drawn quite a crowd. The long drive was crowded with a fleet of luxury buses, here to chauffer any interested dhampir to the airport.

My phone pinged with a new message. The old man was right. The Council had rejected our deal. Seconds later, a new email came through. It was a boarding pass, in my name, for a flight to Miami that afternoon. Only Abe would turn a labor strike into a beach vacation.

As I stared out at the gathering crowd, the reality of the situation hit me. Word had spread. We were officially on strike.

* * *

I jetted down to Miami with a handful of guardians who had no destination in mind other than to get away for a while. We switched to a human schedule, spending our days on the beach and our nights at the clubs. None of us had ever been exposed to so much sunlight. I gloated when my naturally tanned skin tone protected me from the sunburn that the others suffered on day one. By the end of a week, even I was a darker sun-kissed color than I'd ever been in my life.

After a week and a half, Hans summoned me to return to Court. The royals were ready to begin negotiations.


	20. Heroes

While I'd been vacationing in Miami, guardians from all over the world had flocked to headquarters. So many visitors had arrived that Court housing was filled to bursting. Guardians roomed with friends and strangers, anywhere they could find space to sleep. The latest arrivals were being put up in the holding cells underneath guardian headquarters. That's where I ended up.

I was sprawled on the floor playing poker with a handful of bunk mates when Dimitri stormed in. "Where is she?" he demanded, stake in hand. "Where is Rose?"

"Whoa, cowboy," I called out. "Welcome to guardian summer camp." Dimitri gazed around at the cots lining the hall, the spare blankets and pillows forming bedrolls in the open cells. Clearly, no one here was under arrest. "Let me guess," I said. "You heard 'holding cells' and dashed off to save me without waiting for an explanation?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, tucking away his stake. He strolled closer, and a teasing smile crossed his face when he saw the cards in my hand. "Didn't anyone warn you not to play poker with her?" he asked my opponents.

"I knew it!" a guardian named Brandon cried. "She cheats, doesn't she?"

"Not as far as I know," Dimitri answered. "But she doesn't lose, either."

The other guardians in the circle tossed down their cards. "Now what are we going to do?"

I stood and brushed the dust off my slacks. "You guys keep playing. I'll take a walk with Mr. Conquering Hero."

Dimitri followed me back the way he had come, up the stairs to the main level. "Thanks a lot," I said once we were out of earshot of the others. "Pretty soon I won't be able to play cards anywhere in the world."

"Sorry," he said, in an entirely not-sorry tone.

Upstairs, headquarters was a flurry of activity (despite the fact that none of us was technically working). Everyone had shown up to give his or her two cents worth on what our "demands" should be. Fortunately, triaging those requests wasn't my responsibility. All I had to do was spearhead negotiations with Queen Tatiana and her advisers starting tomorrow. I'd be the only guardian in the room, but I wouldn't be alone. A whole team of experienced guardians would be listening and advising me through a two-way headset.

I tried hard not to gawk as we squeezed through the bustling hallway. It seemed like every other face belonged to a guardian whose exploits were legendary. Many of them knew Dimitri, of course, but to my surprise they all went out of their way to acknowledge me! I stopped so many times to shake hands that Dimitri and I didn't reach the main entrance for almost an hour.

"Phew." I sighed in relief when the front door finally closed behind us.

"You're a regular celebrity," Dimitri commented. Another pair of guardians flashed me a thumbs up before they disappeared inside. "Could we go someplace private? I was hoping we could talk."

I frowned. The only time I had any privacy since returning to Court had been the shower, and that was hardly an appropriate place for a heart-to-heart. "I don't think so."

Dimitri looked crestfallen. He probably thought I was refusing to talk to him.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that," I rushed to reassure him. "I just can't think of a single place where we could be alone behind closed doors."

Dimitri hummed thoughtfully. "Good point. Well, let's start walking. Maybe we'll stumble across a secret garden."

Without the surrounding bustle of guardian headquarters, the mood between us became oddly strained. I realized it had been ten days since I kissed him on the plane. Was that what he wanted to talk about? If he had questions, I sure as hell didn't have answers.

"So, what have you been up to?" I asked, kicking at a tuft of grass that grew up through a crack in the sidewalk.

He shrugged. "Nothing much. Sitting around here, like everyone else."

"Huh. I figured you wouldn't last a week without someone to protect."

"I was in withdrawal," he said mock-seriously. "That's why I came to rescue you...unnecessarily."

I giggled. "I'll try to put myself in more dangerous situations. You know, to tide you over until the strike ends."

We passed through a stone archway, finding a rhythm in our footsteps as we skirted a building used for cold storage.

"When you started this strike, what were you hoping to get out of it?" he asked.

"Personally? Nothing. I figured in the best case scenario I'd end up back at the academy. Worst case, they'd fire me. Olena said if that happened, I could move in with your family."

"Mama said -?" Dimitri spluttered. "You told my mother what you were planning, but not me?"

"I needed encouragement," I admitted, "and maybe a backup plan."

"I would have given you both of those things," he said, almost sadly.

"That's what I was afraid of," I muttered. Dimitri would only offer to stand by me if he intended to follow through, which would mean giving up the life he'd devoted himself to for the last ten years. How could I let him sacrifice so much?

"What are you talking about?" Dimitri asked.

An angry swell of noise saved me from having to respond. We had been walking aimlessly, but the commotion drew us forward. Several Moroi had stopped to argue and now stood blocking the walkway.

"Dimka!" Tasha called, popping out from among the group.

Dimitri winced at hearing his family nickname shouted across this crowd of strangers. I started to leave, but Dimitri grabbed my elbow and towed me along beside him. When we stopped facing Tasha, his fingers ghosted across my back, begging me to stay. I shuddered at the delicacy of his touch.

Tasha looked ready to throw herself at Dimitri, but she held back when she saw me. "Rose! Hello! I've been rallying support for your cause, you see." She indicated the angry crowd. "You're absolutely right. Moroi should be willing to stand beside their guardians. It's high time we all used magic for something more useful than classroom exercises."

I wondered if she'd be so enthusiastic about dhampir rights if our "causes" didn't align. The more Moroi signed up for the combat training program that she had founded, the more influence she would have in government. Sonja was right when she called Tasha manipulative.

"You'll have to excuse us," Dimitri said. "Rose had a long flight, and she has an early meeting with the queen tomorrow. She needs to rest."

"Of course," Tasha said, already working her way back through the mob. "See you later, Dimka!"

Dimitri and I cut across the lawn away from the argument, approaching the main shopping district. We were passing more Moroi on the streets, now. I ignored the dirty looks most of them shot our way. Every now and then I caught an encouraging smile, which I returned with gusto. At least a few Moroi were open to change.

"Sonja was right," Dimitri said suddenly. "About Tasha. She is manipulative."

"She won't give up, you know," I said. "She'll keep trying to win you back."

He shrugged. "It won't work. Like I told her, I'm in love with someone else."

"Did she buy it?" I asked, looking around for a bench where we could sit and talk.

"It wasn't just an excuse, Rose. It's the truth." His hand caught mine and tugged at me to stop.

I took a deep breath and exhaled before I met his gaze. With that look in his eyes, I didn't doubt that he was as much in love with me as I was with him. I couldn't claim to be protecting either of us when I pushed him away.

"I -" I started to reply, but an irritatingly familiar voice cut me off.

"Ah, Rose. There you are. Your ears must be burning. We were just talking about you." Abe Mazur struck a dashing pose in his gray linen suit, red shirt and yellow scarf. He stood flanked by two guardians who knew better than to go on strike against their employer.

"Only good things, right, old man?" I replied cheerfully.

Abe ignored me, turning instead to Dimitri. "I'm afraid I must steal this lovely lady away from you."

Dimitri shot me a worried look, and I laughed out loud. "Sorry to disappoint, but I still don't need a rescue," I told him.

Abe smirked as he glanced between Dimitri and I, well aware that he was missing a private joke. "Rose, introduce your father to your boyfriend," he commanded.

"He's not -"

Abe didn't wait for me to finish my objection. He proffered a hand, which Dimitri shook. "Abe Mazur."

Dimitri paled. "It's...nice to meet you, sir."

Abe chuckled. "Oh, good. It saves so much time when they've already heard my reputation."

"That's it." I grabbed Abe and frog-marched him away from Dimitri. "See you later, Dimitri," I called back over my shoulder.

"Some help you lot are," Abe grumbled as we passed between his two stalwart guardians.

* * *

"I hate this," I grumbled, slouching lower in the incredibly plush armchair that served as my prison for the afternoon.

"Most daughters love it when their fathers spoil them," Abe pointed out, waving aside another dozen professional ensembles.

"Spoiling me means letting me have my way. I don't like shopping. Not like this, anyway."

Clothes shopping with Abe was like watching a parade. If the parade had no marching bands and lawn chairs were covered in genuine leather, that is. Removed were the racks to scour for my size, gone was the thrill of stumbling upon that perfect dress. He deprived me of the need to walk until my feet ached in the pursuit of clearance-discounted treasures. Instead, I sat still in a comfortable chair, drank champagne, and watched as clothing and accessory options wafted in front of me. I tuned back into his running commentary.

"Clothes tell a story, little girl. I can't let you face the queen in that horrible pink and brown ensemble. It's a wonder anyone took you seriously at that meeting," he said.

I snorted. "Right. Because your wardrobe makes such a strong first impression."

Abe looked at me sharply. "I know."

Moroi and dhampirs alike regarded Abe with a mixture of worship and fear that I had always envied. I could evoke one or the other of those emotions depending on my mood and outfit, but never both at once. If Abe could dress me in a way that led to a similar reaction, I might actually have to thank the impossible man.

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Whatever."

"Ah, the eloquence of youth," Abe teased.

Purposeful footsteps approached our chairs, and I dared to hope that we were being kicked out of the store.

"Rose."

I winced instinctively at the sound of my mother's voice. Squinting one eye open, I looked up at her. "Hey, Mom."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. It took me a moment to realize that she didn't sound angry. I stood up, needing the height advantage to boost my confidence.

"Honestly? I thought you'd be against us," I told her. Janine always gave me the impression that she'd built her life exactly the way she wanted it. Change wasn't something she welcomed.

"Not at all. I am so proud of you," she said, pulling me into a tight hug.

I patted her back, speechless. Up until now, I could count on one hand the number of times Jeanine had hugged me.

"Now," she said, releasing me. "As soon as you're done here, please go explain to that idiot Hans why he needs to let your father into headquarters." Excluding Abe from our plans was the dumbest idea I'd ever heard. He knew how to get his way even better than I did. No way was I walking into these negotiations without him on my side.

"Let's go." I glared at Abe. "You know you're going to buy whatever you want me to wear, anyway."

"I'll bring your things along with my this evening," he conceded. "Assuming you remove the building access restriction."

"Oh, I will," I stated. "I want you in my ear louder than anyone else when I meet with Tatiana tomorrow."


	21. Negotiations

The queen and her chosen advisers were waiting quietly when I reached the conference room. They were too quiet. Clearly, they'd all been talking about me right before I entered. I laughed internally, wondering how many other Moroi had gotten caught gossiping without guardians to warn them that company was at the door.

Queen Tatiana Ivashkov occupied the spot at the head of the table, of course. Seated to her right were Princess Priscilla Voda, Princess Ariana Szelsky, and Prince Eric Dragomir. Eric nodded at me in welcome. To my surprise, Ariana gave me a small, encouraging smile.

"Morning, all," I greeted them, taking a seat across from the others. The setup screamed 'us versus them'. Too bad. If Tatiana had pulled some round table crap, I would have enjoyed calling her out on it.

"Thank you for joining us, Rosemarie," Tatiana said.

 _"Don't you dare roll your eyes,"_ Janine squawked in my ear. Sometimes, it's eerie how well that woman knows me.

Tatiana continued, ignorant of the interruption. "Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address the ... concerns you raised earlier this month." She shuffled a few papers, pretending to refer to her notes. "You mentioned mandating the Moroi combat training program."

Hans cut in over the earpiece. _"Explain the geography stipend first. Overhauling everyone's living arrangements will take a lot of convincing, so we'd better start early."_

"Right," I said aloud. Tatiana glanced at me, and I realized she thought I was responding to her. "I mean, yes, you guys need to be a little less helpless. A lot less helpless, actually. But there's something more important."

Priscilla raised an eyebrow. Ugh, Dimitri always did that when he thought I was being unreasonable. Hang on, could I say "always" about Dimitri now?

 _"Focus, Rose."_

It was weird having someone else's voice repeat my thoughts inside my head.

"Remember how I said that you don't get to dictate where we live anymore?" I continued. Everyone else at the table looked ruffled. I knew that in a second, Abe would be telling me to back off, start out sweeter. "Not _you_ specifically. Moroi in general. I mean, right now guardians have to live in the same house as a Moroi. We figured out a way that dhampirs can live in their own homes and still function as guardians."

"We?" Priscilla asked, questioning who masterminded the idea.

I smirked at her. "Play nice today, and you get to find out."

Priscilla and Tatiana formed identical frowns. Tatiana ordered me to continue my explanation.

"Promised guardians will get a stipend based on the number of Moroi that live within a reasonably defensible distance of their home address," I said.

"What's 'reasonably defensible'," Ariana asked.

I shrugged. "Still working out the details. Of course, Moroi would have to hold off the Strigoi long enough for guardians to show up and make the kills.

"Ah," Eric said. "Thus the insistence on mandatory combat training."

"Does that worry you, Eric? After all, your daughter doesn't have an elemental magic to fight with." Tatiana looked at me while she asked the question, so I cut in with an answer.

"Any Moroi can still pay for a private guardian if they want to," I said. "Enough young guardians will be willing to work traditional 'round-the-clock shifts for extra cash."

"Promised guardians that accept private work are never allowed back under the purview of the Guardian Council," Priscilla protested.

I grinned. "We're talking about a new world. New rules."

"If you're suggesting legalizing the private guardian market -" Tatiana began. In my headset, a clamor of voices argued against being characterized as commodities by their supposed queen. "- then why the stipend plan?"

"Guardians are _people_ ," I said heatedly. "Most of us would rather live in our own homes, if we had the choice. With the stipend, guardians can choose to live independently as long as they settle near Moroi, like in the same town or something." I drew breath to continue, but Abe cut me off.

 _"Wait a moment, Rose. Give a new idea time to sink in."_

Ariana spoke first. "Non-royals will get better protection this way." She didn't make it sound like a bad thing.

"Plus, dhampir women will be able to raise children at home _and_ act as guardians," Priscilla pointed out. "The option of a family living situation might offset declining guardian numbers."

My eyebrows shot up. The Voda princess was Tatiana's right-hand woman. Was she leaning our way?

Tatiana glanced at Eric, the last member of her mini-council to voice an opinion.

"It wouldn't be hard to ward more dwellings, even communities, if people learned to do it themselves," he said slowly.

"Is that right?" I asked, directing the question to the team on the other end of my headset. The royals looked at me in confusion, and I held up a finger telling them to wait. I smirked when they obeyed.

After a mumbled conversation, Janine's voice came through clearly. _"Short answer: yes."_

"Thanks," I said. "He's right," I told the royals. "You'd better add warding magic to the new Moroi curriculum."

The four royals peppered me with questions for the next hour. I relayed answers as they came through my earpiece. Hans and his team had thought of every possible scenario. I was impressed and totally exhausted. Finally, the queen relented.

"Well, we won't set up a new society in one day," Tatiana said. Priscilla nodded along, looking at me sternly as if I had suggested the opposite. "However, I believe we have a good enough understanding of your needs to agree on the direction. We capitulate."

Based on the whoops and hollers that sounded painfully through my earpiece, I figured "capitulate" meant something good for us.

 _"Hathaway,"_ Hans barked in my ear. _"Wrap it up and get back here for a debrief."_

"Thank you, your Majesty." I stood and shook hands with the queen, then all but ran out of the room and back to guardian headquarters.

* * *

The debrief was quick and thankfully occurred over lunch. Given that I hadn't moved all morning, I felt surprisingly ravenous.

Abe smirked at me from across the table. "See?" he said as if continuing an argument I had forgotten. "Thinking is hungry work." I shook my head, too intent on food to exchange barbs with the old man.

Since the queen hadn't threatened to imprison or exile anyone, I was excused from further negotiations. Representatives from the Guardian Council would take over from here. Relief, exhilaration and restless energy had me jumping to spar with someone. I rushed to ditch the business outfit of Abe's choice and change into my workout gear.

Guardians applauded and cheered when I entered the main training gym. A few who stood nearby clapped me on the back, but mostly they gave me my space. Dimitri, as usual, was easy to spot in a crowd. I sashayed over to where he stood, looking expectant.

"I take it negotiations went well?" he asked, eyeing my grin.

"Not 'went' - they're still ongoing - but yes. I did my part, and now I'm off the hook." My grin grew even wider. "I deserve a reward, don't you think?"

Dimitri nodded, both wary and eager.

I stepped forward, invading his personal space. He was so tall, I had to tilt my chin up to meet his gaze. "Spar with me?"

Dimitri ducked his head and answered in a low voice, "Last time we sparred, I walked away with a hard-on." I flushed, thrilled at having that kind of power over him.

"I won't let you walk away again," I whispered. My hands latched onto his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Despite our audience, Dimitri cooperated, even lifting me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around his waist to hold my weight and leave his hands free to explore.

"Get a room!" a friendly voice shouted.

Dimitri and I broke apart, panting. "We can't!" we replied in unison. The level of frustration in his voice was flattering.

"Stupid strike," I muttered, even as Dimitri's lips wandered over my neck. "Stupid guardians filling every stupid room in this whole stupid court. Ah," I sighed as he gently nipped at my skin.

"Sorry." He kissed the spot, then pulled back to look at me. "I have an idea."

* * *

Dimitri opened the rear passenger door of the black guardian SUV, ushering me inside. He ducked in after me. As soon as the door was closed, I pounced. His shirt was an evil that demanded immediate removal. I peeled it off and tossed it in the trunk. For a moment I froze, flashing back to the first time I saw his (mostly) bare body. I licked my lips in anticipation. This time, I could look _and_ touch.

"I thought we could talk," he said quickly.

"Talk?" I chuckled, sliding into his lap. "Neither of us walked half a mile out to the parking garage so that we could talk." I managed to distract him, but only for a few minutes.

"Talk _first_ ," he ground out, speaking through gritted teeth.

"Careful, cowboy. You're turning into a caveman," I teased. That hit a nerve, apparently.

Dimitri pried me off him. "I'll carry you back to headquarters if I have to, but we are not having sex in this car," he said. I smirked, thinking that the man really didn't threaten well.

"Fine." I snatched the keys and clambered into the driver's seat.

"What are you doing?" Dimitri asked when I shoved the keys into the ignition.

"Driving us to a motel."

"Rose, it's the middle of the human night. What will it look like if we show up and ask for a room for a couple of hours?"

"The truth: that we're just renting the room for sex."

"It can't be just sex, Rose. We're already past that," he said longingly.

I turned back to meet his gaze. His head leaned against the back of the passenger seat. Our faces were close together, but the space no longer smoldered with the pressure to kiss him. Simmered, yes, but not smoldered.

He was right. I loved everything about this man, and I didn't need to hear the words to know that he loved me. Based on my behavior, though, he probably needed to hear the truth from me. I had flirted with him, avoided him, and pushed him toward another woman. It wasn't fair to leave Dimitri guessing.

I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him tenderly. Pulling back, I asked, "If I tell you I love you, can we do it in the car?"

Dimitri turned his head sharply to avoid unleashing a snort of laughter in my face. He cupped my hands in his, like we were in prayer, and met my gaze again. "What am I going to do with you, Roza?" Mmm, that nickname always got a reaction from me, and he knew it.

I climbed back over the seat and kneeled above him. "I love you." I ran my fingers through his hair. He gazed up at me. Relief, hope, or affection wouldn't have surprised me, but I saw adoration in his eyes. "I love you, Dimitri Belikov." I leaned down and kissed him softly, slowly, and with promise. Dimitri responded the way he communicated best: with his actions. Like I said, the man didn't threaten very well.

As our fingers interlaced overhead, I thought about how today my future had become mine to decide. My upbringing had never allowed for uncertainty. It might have been overwhelming on my own, but with Dimitri - _"Yes, Dimitri,"_ I moaned - I had a partner who would help me make wise choices. Actually, he _was_ the first of those wise choices.

I felt a brief burst of gratitude for Moroi and their blacked-out car windows. After that, my sensations zeroed in on the here and now I shared with Dimitri. The future could wait until we were good and ready to create it.

* * *

 _A/N: That's all, friends. I always meant to leave the ending wide open. Rose started out feeling trapped; now she has choices (get it?). I almost wrote them leaving the car and walking back to headquarters, but that seemed unrealistic for these two ;)_

 _Thanks for reading!_


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